The following is the statement read on behalf of the Michigan Campus Alliance on November 15th, 2008 at the East Lansing, MI protest in coordination with the nationwide protest of the passing of Proposition 8 in California.
On November 5th, many people in the LGBTA community were in a state of shock, awe, and sorrow. With the results of the election, our community was granted the right, as a minority group, to be in solidarity with the new President. However, our community faced a bittersweet reality with the results of Proposition 8 in California. The passing of Proposition 8 caused a lot of pain and sorrow. Still, we cannot approach this situation with anger. We must respond to this situation with passion, respect, and honor. We must present ourselves with dignity and we must strive for equality for all people. Even if we have been hurt, retaliating will not help our cause.
The Michigan Campus Alliance feels that the Michigan LGBTA community must declare our unity with our community members – our family – in California, and the rest of the United States. We must remember that this cause must be nationwide and we must remember that we are not alone. We have loved ones, and we must focus our strength with them. We must love, even though it may be hard, and we must love with compassion.
We must move beyond the pain of this event and see that the people who voted for Proposition 8 are not our enemies. They are people voting for their beliefs, just like we do. We must move for equality for everyone, even for those who do not agree with us. We must form a movement of the LGBTA community for everyone, even if we're not respected by those for whom we are fighting.
The Michigan Campus Alliance hopes that this will be the last time LGBT rights are taken away. We hope that our community will be respected. We hope that all people will work together to empower the voices of those who are under served and underrepresented on diverse issues of sexuality, gender, and sexual identities. We envision a united nation inclusive of all people, enabling one another against oppression, invisibility and privilege.
Today at the Michigan Campus Alliance @ Michigan State University LGBTA Leadership Summit we will be voting for our first executive board, and voting on the first Constitution for our organization.
First we would like to again thank Michigan State University, it's faculty and staff who put on the summit.
The people running for the 2008-2009 elected board, their biographies, and their statements of why they want to run for a position are available from this link.
Campus representatives and Planning Group members will receive an electronic ballot in their email shortly. Please follow the instructions in the email to process your ballot.
With the MCA @ MSU LGBTA Leadership Summit looming, we wanted to help facilitate the event registration by providing a link to the online registration here on the Michigan Campus Alliance website. You will find the link below and are encouraged to register early.
REGISTRATION LINKThe Michigan Campus Alliance would also request that each campus give preference to the registration of a representative from their school. This representative to MCA will be asked to participate in our first elections and to act as a liason between MCA and your campus.
If you would like more information about the Michigan Campus Alliance, how to become a representative, or participating in other capacities, please consider attending our next Internet meeting on November 2nd between 1 and 3pm. Participation from all campuses is welcome. The link to this online meeting is here. This site is password protected, so please send an email to mca@micampusalliance.org expressing your interest in attending, and indicating which campus you represent.
You may also be interested in representing your school as a member of the Michigan Campus Alliance Planning Group until the November elections of our first elected board. In that case, please state your desire to become an active participant in our discussions in an email to the same web address.
We can't wait to see what we can all do together to benefit our state and our campus communities. Please become involved today.
Thank you,
Garrett Imhoff
Interim Facilitator,
The Michigan Campus Alliance Planning Group (MCAPG)
Thanks again for a great summer!
Garrett Imhoff*1-3pm*
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I hope you attended the first ever MCA retreat last weekend at Alma College. If you didn't, you missed driving on sidewalks, laying on train-tracks, post-its the size of posters, and the shmoo! 'What's a shmoo' you ask? Well you should have been there to find out...
About half of the schools represented on our Planning Group were in attendance, and we even saw quite a few new faces. More importantly, we made a LOT of great progress for MCA! Besides confirming the mission and vision statements as envisioned by our own Nick Rosencrans, we also decided on a structure for our elected board, duties of the board members, set several important pieces of by-law in stone, and got well on the way to a working constitution. We even decided on eight purposes for MCA, and some courses of action that MCA needs to take in the short-term. It was one busy, productive weekend and we all had a blast! Minutes of the meetings will be made available very soon by Kate Miller, our newly elected Interim Records Chair.
Don't let all this success fool you into thinking that MCA doesn't still need your help. There is still lots of work to be done to make MCA the organization that we all know it can be. If you would like to get involved please follow the Email Lists link at the top of this page or click here to find out how. If you know of students, staff, faculty, alumni, or community members who might want to help MCA grow, please encourage them to get involved, as well.
There is a new page on this website dedicated to our newly confirmed mission and vision statements. Click here to be redirected to the mission/vision page. The eight purposes of MCA will be joining them shortly so that many of you who have been questioning the purpose of MCA will have a better idea what MCA does. As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas or suggestions please contact us by clicking here or by using the link at the top of this page.
Thank you all so much for all your hard work and dedication!
Garrett Imhoff
Interim Facilitator
The Michigan Campus Alliance Planning Group
At the last meeting some very important issues were raised about the need for inclusiveness in our mission and vision statements. We are having an ongoing discussion about the best ways to word those documents to meet the needs of our state. We definitely need your help and input in order to reach the correct decision for MCA. If you are a member of the Planning Group we encourage you to attend. If you are not a member of the Planning Group you can find information about how to get involved by following the Email Lists link here or at the top of the page.
MCA wold also like to express its sincere thanks to Alisa Dean, a Planning Group member, and all the faculty and staff of Alma College who have provided space for MCA to conduct our first face-to-face meeting. At this meeting, on July 26th and 27th, we will be formalizing our mission and vision statemnts and beginning work on interim leadership for MCA, as well as beginning to consider what form our Constitution or Charter should take.
As always, MCA can only help to grow and succeed with the help of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members all over the state. If you are not currently involved with MCA, please lend us your voice so that we can all succeed together in making our campuses more inclusive, tolerant, and progressive institutions for everyone.
See you on the 28th,
The Michigan Campus Alliance Planning Group (MCAPG)
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Agenda for June 28th
1. Any update from MSU on the status of the MCA Summit.
2. Questions, comments to Alisa Dean about the MCA live meeting at Alma College in July. Discussion.
3. Discussion of mission/vision statements. Presentation by Nick Rosencrans about new options. Discussion. Vote.
4. Andrew Boutcher - Assignment to interested parties of staff and faculty contacts to further advertise MCA.
5. Discussion of possible constructs for interim leadership if time permits.
6. Further discussion as needed.
We are pleased to announce that the date/time for our next internet meeting has been set. At the last meeting, a vote of all those present decided that all further MCA meetings will be held biweekly on Saturday at 2pm. We will be continuing to use Meebo until further notice.
Please mark your calendar for this coming Saturday, June 14th at 2pm Eastern Standard Time. The agenda is listed below. Phopp will be moderating.
If you're planning to attend but are not a member of the Planning Group, or are interested in becoming a PG member please send an email to mca@micampusalliance.org and we will send you more information.
1. Recap of last meeting by Phopp.
2. Update from David Jaques on the status of MSU's possble statewide summit. No discussion necessary.
3. Update from Dillon Riddenour on locations for our first ever face-to-face meeting next month. Discussion.
4. Update from members on vision statement research. Discussion. Write first draft of MCA vision statement to be voted on at face-to-face meeting next month.
5. Assignment by Andrew Boutcher of faculty/staff contacts to willing parties. Discussion.
6. Additional discussion as necessary.
*Note: Phopp will be moderating discussion*
1. Update from Nick Rosencrans on the status of his Doodle survey about the times for first Planning Group live meeting. Short discussion about results. Set final date for live meeting.
2. Update from David Jaques on the status of MSU for possibly hosting the first MCA statewide conference this fall. Discussion.
3. Update from Andrew on the status of involving campus faculty in the development/maintainence of MCA. Discussion.
4. Discussion about the need for a mission/vision statement for MCA. List of bullet points for what MCA should/can be/do.
5. Discussion about the need for interrim/permanent representation for MCA.
6. Additional discussion as necessary.
*Note* Phopp will be moderating discussion