Cuts to LGBT conference cause tensions
Lack of funding for conference, poor ASUCR communications irate LGBT community members
Alex Madueña
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: News
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That the finances, which were used in the past to send a number of students to the annual Western Regional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex and Allies (LGBTQIA) College Conference, were gone did not come to light until late in the fall quarter.
In an interview Sunday, Vice President of Finance Johnny Ren, who was involved with the finance committee last year, spoke about the process of adjusting this year's budget to accommodate for massive financial cuts to ASUCR's budget-the result of a decrease in revenue and an increase in the Highlander Union Building rent, saying that all groups received massive cuts.
A series of emails acquired from the LGBT center suggest that some ASUCR members, however, were not aware of the lack of funding until Nov. 1, when Tiffany Lau, the Vice President of External Affairs, sent an email to the director of the LGBT Resource Center, Nancy Jean Tubbs.
"Our budget spreadsheet does not show that we have money for the LGBTQ UC meetings and conferences," said the brief email from Lau, "I will check and see if we can make room for that."
Even though by month's end it was concluded that funding would not be distributed for the conference, Laurie Sinclair, Executive Director of ASUCR, provided suggestions in the emails released from the LGBT resource center. One such suggestion was that the LGBT Resource Center seek assistance from the Queer Alliance's fundraising funds.
Sinclair's email cited that "Other UC External offices do not have regular funding for this event, either."
The tension culminated when a number of LGBT students and their allies arrived at Tuesday's meeting, many of them displeased with the senate's decision.
Initially, the decision to cease funding for the conference was interpreted by some as being, at worst, homophobic, or, as the opening remarks from Horace Buenrostro, a fourth year English major, described it, as a "slap in the face" to the LGBT community on campus.
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