Yay for another mini-rant. Ok, maybe it won't be so mini. But yeah, so as I'm sure most of you know, we have started a GSA at Dana. Well . . . the future of that club looks very suspect lately, and it bothers me a lot. You see, when it first started, Katie and Mandy gave me the position of Vice-President. At the time, and even now, it feels as though I'm just a figure-head. I have the position simply because I'm the only out guy on campus. I'm not required to do anything, and the few times I've tried to speak, or had a suggestion, I've been looked at like I was crazy.
You see, this club was pretty much the brainchild of Mandy and Katie. It was their idea, but they have yet to actually relinquish any control over the organization to anyone. Well, there's Emilia, but all she gets to do is make posters because she's good at art. Meetings are nearly always dominated by Katie, who feels free to joke around as much as she wants, but when other people do it, she tries to make them be quiet. Mandy just seems to sit in the background and does all the prep work before the meetings. Now, I love them to death, but lately, I've been getting the impression that the GSA isn't important anymore. Like, it was just a fun little fad to do for a few weeks. Posters have stopped being put up. Events are constantly pushed farther and farther back. Meetings are far more sporadic than the official once every other tuesday.
Now, I love Katie and Mandy to death. And I don't really believe that they don't care anymore, but I see the organization going down the toilet, and I want to do something about it. I think they're getting burned out with all the work they have to do for it. And I'd love to help them! But they don't seem to want any help.
I have sooooo many ideas! I want to start a whole new ad/poster campaign dispelling biblical myths about homosexuality and other ridiculous things that are commonly believed on campus. I want to have meetings that actually accomplish something. I want to put fliers in students' mailboxes. I just . . . want to do something! I don't want this organization to fade away. It's important to me, and I didn't even know how much I cared until it was started.
Last week, I was in the lunch room, and three wrestlers were harrassing a guy for being in the GSA. They were telling him how stupid it was, and how stupid he was for being in it. They quoted ridiculous bible references that make no sense when fully understood. It was the first time I had ever witnessed anti-GSA hostility at Dana. Sure, I'd heard of it. But it'd never happened to me. Or, around me, I should say. I was furious at these wrestlers. I wanted to turn to them and rip their pathetic arguments to shreds. I wanted to stand up for myself, for Acuncion, for the rest of the GSA. I wanted to make a difference. Right there. But along with the anger, I was also afriad. Afraid something would happen if I opened my mouth. Afraid of what they would say to me. So I just sat by myself and ate my dinner as I listened to them harrass the guy. I felt so weak, and pathetic, and powerless. I was so dissappointed in myself. And that was when I resolved to be more active in GSA. I'd never realized how much it was needed because I had never witnessed this hostility first hand. Having the GSA fall apart now, the first time it's been started in 5 years at Dana, would just send everyone the message that we've been defeated. That we were weak, and we really didn't belong in the first place.
Katie doesn't have to be present for a meeting to be held. If she has personal matters to attend to, fine, that's why Mandy and I are there: to run meetings in her absence. It's time I actually acted like a Vice-President instead of a figure-head. If the responsibility is merely in the hands of 2 people, then it isn't much of a club.
This weekend is the Nebraska College GSA get-together. Because there was no meeting on Tuesday, I was not able to get a count of people that are going. Sure, 2 weeks ago we had 8 people raise thier hands, but not everyone was at the meeting, and if those 8 didn't forget about the event, many probably forgot. Well, Nick said he'd put fliers in people's boxes, but he probably forgot. Looks like I'm going to have to go around and ask people individually if they're going or not. And I'll probably have to organize rides too. This is a big deal. It's a way for us to see how other GSA's work, how they deal with the crap we've been dealing with. I think it's really important for Dana to make a big appearance at this event.
Looks like this is my first big ordeal as VP. Wish me luck.
Eric 4/15/2004 02:34:00 AM
