FUND FOR REUNION/PRINCETON GALA
P.O. Box 1481, Princeton, New Jersey 08542
| NEWS FROM THE FUND FOR REUNION/PRINCETON GALA P.O. Box 1481, Princeton, New Jersey 08542 |
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| Volume VIII, No. 2 | Fall 1993 |
FFR members who have been reading their PAW religiously already know the bad news. In two decisions on November 13th the Board of Trustees sent a chilling signal to lesbian, gay and bisexual students, alumni and friends by overturning decisions to not tolerate intolerance when Princeton is involved
This past fall has seen a new wave of anti-ROTC activism, as hopes that the Pentagon's discriminatory practices were coming to an end were dashed. Students demonstrated, the prince filled its pages with editorial combats and the faculty, prodded by Professors Stephen Greene and Andrew Koppelman, voted to remove ROTC.
The argument that the faculty seems to have found compelling - that the basic condition of academic freedom is violated by ROTC's gagging of lesbian and gay students (never mind persecution) - was disregarded by the University's Board of Trustees.
At the same meeting, Board members overruled President Shapiro and reinstated the University's United Way contribution. A fine article in the latest PAW (12-22-93) points out the rationale of "non-interference" adduced in the decision has been repeatedly violated by the Board - when it partially divested from securities tied to South Africa under apartheid, for example.
For nearly a decade the community has pressed the University to unravel its tight ties with Princeton ROTC. It appears that no degree of consensus in relevant interest groups formally consulted - students, faculty, workers - can influence policy on this issue. Yet pressure can and must be maintained. FFR members may have seen board member Dick Limoges' letter int he PAW praising the United Way policy and donating money to the University and FFR both. It is important to send a signal now that the University does not benefit by endorsing or condoning discrimination.
David Beaty '50 writes:
A number of replies to our Resource Guide Questionnaire have been received and are being sorted and analyzed. Thanks to all who have participated. The information and comments are much appreciated and will be put to good use, you may be sure. Some younger members have questioned the value of their participation, saying they were only tiny cogs in the vast corporate machinery.
However, whether you are on the lowest rung or are a captain of industry, your involvement will be valuable. We have all faced the anxiety of interviews and job searches; all faced the never-ending dilemma of visibility - whether to come out and to whom and under what circumstances. We have our professional training and skills to share, however fledgling. Finally we have our perspective on our Princeton experience and how it did (or didn't) relate to the real world in which we find ourselves.
So please, all of you who haven't sent in your questionnaire, please send it in now.
FFR's board will meet next at the home of member Shawn Cowls '87 on Saturday, January 16, 1994. As always members are invited to attend!
Fighting Back
Princeton students stood up and were counted in the fight for liberation when the Ku Klux Klan marched against "special rights for lesbians and gay men in New Hope, PA. The November 6 march attracted a larger counter-demonstrating crowd as the Klan turned out for hate in gay-friendly New Hope. Princeton's LGBA organized a sizable local contingent to say no to bigotry.
"Outriders
Princeton Alumni Weekly has become a veritable gay rights forum this past fall. letters on the United Way, ROTC, and every imaginable issue relating to the LGB community have appeared in nearly every issue. Alan Flippen '84 weighed in with his survey of gay activists that Princeton (yes, Princeton!) has produced in the past twenty-five years. Subtitled "In the Vanguard of the Gay-Rights Movement with Four Alumni," the article presented profiles of Eric Markeset '86, Tim McFeeley '68, Abby Rubenfeld '75, and David Robinson '86. A must read!
Come to the Cabaret
On February 26, 1994 the FFR/Princeton GALA will host a night of cabaret at the American Tap Dance Theater. The evening, our major fund raiser of the year, will feature some of New York's brightest wits and subtlest voices.
Verbatim
"I am a Princeton alumnus. I am also a gay veteran...
"As an alumnus and a veteran, I urge Princeton University, its faculty, students and administration, to seek an end to any military presence on campus in reaction to the regulations on homosexuals recently adopted by Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and approved by the US Congress...
This year the university, not just its president, must make known its opposition to a discriminatory policy that affects its very own."
The Daily Princetonian 10/22/93, Eric Markeset '86
Editor: Michael Philips '90
Write to us at PO Box 1481, Princeton, NJ 08542. For faster response, send e-mail to
Fund for Reunion
You can sign up for FFR/Princeton BTGALA using our mail form.
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This page was created by and for the Fund For Reunion. Information on this page is intended for individual communication of a personal nature among Princetonians. Use of this information for any other purpose is strictly prohibited. |
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Solely the Fund For Reunion is responsible for the content on this page. Although we make every effort to keep this information accurate and up to date, we cannot guarantee it. This page is maintained by Shawn Cowls '87 FSA MAAA.
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incorporated in 1986 independent of Princeton University with the goal of
improving Princeton's relationships with its LGBT community, including
alums, students, faculty, and staff. For more information, visit our
website at
http://alumni.princeton.edu/~ffr-gala/
or send us an e-mail by going to the
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