Helping coordinate our Allies Program on campus is one of my favorite parts of my job.

Allies is a group of students, staff and faculty who wish to show their visible and tangible support for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community on campus.  

Today, the listserv that is part of the Allies group on campus is busy with people sharing stories and their thoughts about the tragedy at Rutgers University. Eighteen-year-old Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge, killing himself.

The details of his story show a student who felt mocked or bullied or alone, or all of the above. This is unfortunately a common story or experience that I hear from LGBT community members.

In fact, Tyler isn’t the only gay teen in the news this week for choosing suicide.  The Allies have  not only shared their sadness, but also their hope that we can all do something to make a difference so that this doesn’t happen to another student.

Allies hopes to have a visible presence on campus. As you walk through the campus on your way to class or work, we hope that you see our rainbow placards on our offices or on our backpacks.

When you see this rainbow placard, know that the Ally before you has been trained to understand the needs of the LGBT community and is a great person to talk to and ask questions.

Additionally, there are many offices on campus that display a poster with a big rainbow flag that says “Every Student Deserves Affirmation, Dignity and Respect.” These posters list offices that work most directly with reporting harassment for LGBT or perceived LGBT identity.

In the next few weeks, our campus will come alive with activities and events to celebrate National Coming Out Day.

This day is celebrated around the U.S. and in many other countries on Oct. 11 to encourage and inspire people to “come out” of the proverbial “closet” to share their full selves and to enjoy the freedom that brings to one’s life.

Next Wednesday, we encourage you to visit the Women’s Center for our first-of-the-year LGBTea.  It’s tea time or social time for the LGBT and Ally community. We will have the tea and fixings, and you can join us for conversation and meeting friends.  

On Thursday, join us for “Out for Breakfast.” We will be out at the flagpole with a little breakfast snack as you make your way to class or to the office.

The week’s events will be capped off that night with the annual Masquerade ball sponsored by SPECTRUM. Costumes are encouraged, and this year’s theme is “Moulin Rouge.”  

I’ve already heard from one student who has a Lady Gaga inspired costume. I can only imagine what other creative costumes we’ll see.

All of the events during the National Coming Out week are free and open to the public. We encourage everyone to attend.

As an institution, we also have some great news to share. We often hear about the negative experiences on college campuses, but there are a lot of us working hard to continue to provide resources and services to make the college experience a great one.

We have recently received our results from the Campus Climate Index. This is a national assessment tool created by the organization Campus Pride.

We are happy to announce that Southern Methodist University received an overall campus climate score of 4 out of 5 stars.  

The report continues on to speak in depth to areas of our strengths as well as areas that we will continue to grow.

The aim of the index is to assist campuses in learning how to improve campus life and experiences for the LGBT community, Allies and the campus in general.

We spent about a year going through the process to research what services are provided; not just in the Women’s Center for Gender and Pride Initiatives, but in departments all across campus.

This also helped us look at our policies and our institutional commitment to supporting the LGBT community.

We also seek ideas from you in the community. Please let us know how we can serve you best. In departments, organizations and programs across campus, we all hope that “Every Mustang Will Be Valued.”

-Karen Click

Karen Click is the director of the Women’s Center. She can be reached for comments at [email protected].

More information on Women’s Center activities can be found at smu.edu/womenscenter/. The Women’s Center is located on the third floor of the Hughes Trigg Student Center.