MN Campus Alliance Board Positions Open

The Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance is searching for Board members! Please contact Andrew Zahorsky at info@mncampusalliance.org with what position you are interested in as well as a short biography (100 words or less), and contact information. The Deadline for Self- Nomination is November 25th at midnight central standard time.

Final Reminder: Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference 2009

Get ready for the 4th annual Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference (November 14-15), sponsored by the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance! The conference registration fee is set at $30, but no one will be turned away for lack of funding. Please visit our website to get all the exciting details, or email us with questions or concerns.

More Info

The fourth-annual Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference on November 14–15, 2009 is our premier annual statewide conference that discusses issues facing GLBTA students, staff and faculty on college and university campuses across Minnesota.

Registration

Online registration is available for $30.00 per person, but no one will be turned away for lack of funding. Check the MOCC website for details.

Now Available: Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference Registration

Register now for the 2009 Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference at McNally Smith College of Music (November 14-15).

Either of these links will take you to our online registration system.

See the main RSVP page: https://www.blacktie-minnesota.com/rsvp/rsvp.cfm?eventcode=%255I.%2B304%20%0A

To Register Online: https://www.blacktie-minnesota.com/online_sales/rsvp_ticket_purchase.cfm?rsvpid=315

(Note: Please continue checking back at http://www.mncampusalliance.org/mocc/index.php for any updated details about the event schedule as the conference draws near.)

The Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance strives to build a statewide network of individuals and organizations working for equality and justice on issues of gender and sexual diversity; empower the voices of groups that are underserved and underrepresented in our campus communities; and create welcoming, affirming, and safe environments on college and university campuses throughout the state of Minnesota. (http://www.mncampusalliance.org/index.php)

The 4th Annual Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference on November 14-15, 2009 is our premier annual statewide conference that discusses issues facing GLBTA students, staff, and faculty on college and university campuses across Minnesota.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Join us for a community-building conference featuring keynote trainings, workshop sessions, caucus and mentorship space, and a resource fair.

9:00 am – 5:30 pm – Conference Workshops & Programming at McNally Smith
5:30 pm – Dinner and Evening Activities are To Be Announced…

Sunday, November 15, 2009 – minor adjustments to schedule may be made

9:00 am – Morning Energizing Activity
10:00 am – Networking Brunch
11:30 am – Closing Keynote (Eli Clare)

*Caucuses and Voting for Regional Representatives to the Campus Alliance Executive Board will take place during the conference.

LODGING

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at a conference rate of $79 per night at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Paul City Center, a short distance from the college. Please ask for the Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference rate when booking.

TRAINERS & KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

SEBASTIAN MARGARET

Sebastian Margaret’s involvement with disability culture, anti- oppression and community work spans some 25 years. In both England and in North America he has presented, trained and consulted on disability rights as a bedrock issue for social justice movements and service providers.

Born and raised in Yorkshire, U.K, Sebastian is a disability activist, a trans/ gender-variant queer and a parent of young children. He currently lives in New Mexico, where he pays the bills working as a personal attendant. Through his small business Access Change he provides trainings and consults nationally on disability justice for progressive organizations and direct service providers.

Greatly informed by an analysis of power and privilege and the necessity of racial and economic justice and community self determination; Sebastian’s work is deeply influenced by a commitment to cross disability access and a strong working class approach to inclusion and social justice politics. A trained advocate and experienced anti-violence provider, his involvement in service provision is rooted in a client centered, and harm reduction model.

Currently Sebastian is working on the development of anti-racism  workshops and trainings specifically tailored for disability activists and community members. His workshops are engaging interactive and audience-centric. As an experienced trainer and community educator Sebastian’s trainings offer organizations and personnel a powerful learning experience without complicity to either tokenism or voyeurism.

ELI CLARE

White, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli Clare has a B.A. in Women’s Studies, a M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and most importantly a penchant for rabble-rousing. Among other pursuits, he has walked across the United States for peace, coordinated a rape prevention program, and helped organize the first-ever Queerness and Disability Conference. He has spoken all over the United States at conferences, community events, and colleges about disability, queer and trans identities, and social justice. Eli is the author of a book of essays Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation (South End Press, 1999) and a collection of poetry The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion (Homofactus Press, 2007) and has been published in many periodicals and anthologies.

WORKSHOPS

Workshop topics will include gender identity and expression, sexuality, building and maintaining Gay Straight Alliances and other campus organizations, disability and queerness, anti-racism work, economic justice, music, art, technology, and MORE!

REGISTRATION

The registration fee is $30 for each student, faculty, and staff member, though no one will be turned away for lack of funding. You will receive information about our online registration system. Please keep checking your email checking back at our website for more information about registration..

On-site registration may be available, up to 200 total participants, but please pre-register if you can to help us account for meals and seats available.

RESOURCE FAIR

There will be an opportunity for organizations, vendors and exhibitors to set up tables at MOCC to share work and information about events and services with conference attendees. There is no cost to table, but tabling staff who intend to attend workshop events and eat meals on-site should register for the conference. To sign up for a table, please contact matt.tentis@gmail.com.

VOLUNTEERS

Interested in volunteering at MOCC?  We appreciate your help!  Please contact
mocc@mncampusalliance.org to get involved.

CONTACT US

For more information, to register, propose a workshop, volunteer, sign-up for exhibitor space, ask questions, get involved, etc — please contact mocc@mncampusalliance.org.
Hope to see you there!

Coming Out Day Luncheon & Business Equality Conference

The Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance is proud to be a community partner of Quorum, the Twin Cities GLBT and Applied Chamber of Commerce, as they present Minnesota’s 16th annual National Coming Out Day Luncheon and the first Quorum Business Equality Conference.

2009 Spring Dinner

More than 100 MN Campus Alliance members and supporters gathered on Friday, April 25 at the Holiday Inn Metrodome to celebrate another year of GLBT campus work.

Guests heard from Antonio Cardona of Pillsbury United Communities about the importance of building GLBT student leaders. Beth Zemsky spoke about the importance of seizing this political moment to capitalize on gains from GLBT movement past. We capped the evening off with entertainment by Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs. It was a lovely evening raising funds and visibility for the MN Campus Alliance. Funds raised at the Spring Dinner will help subsidize the cost of Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference 2009 to lower student registration fees.

Many thanks to those that made the dinner a reality, including McNally Smith College of Music, Print Craft Inc., Anne Hodson and the staff of the Holiday Inn.

Join the Board of the MN GLBTA Campus Alliance!

The Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance is looking for Board Members. We are

currently looking to fill the following positions on our executive board for 2008–2009.

Please contact info@mncampusalliance.org if you are interested in running for any of

these positions.

Communications Coordinator

The Communications Coordinator’s responsibilities include chairing the

Communications Committee; developing and maintaining all MN Campus Alliance

official marketing publications; creating and delivering the E-Newsletter and various EBlasts

to the MN Campus Alliance membership in a timely manner; primarily responsible

for managing website design and major updates; managing the MN Campus Alliance

blog; managing the consistency of the MN Campus Alliance brand and its assets to the

community at large; writing and sending out press releases in conjunction with other

committees; developing and maintaining public relations campaigns and structures.

Internal Relations Coordinator

The Internal Relations Coordinator is responsible for writing Board meeting agendas;

writing meeting minutes; scheduling times, reserving rooms, and handling all technology

needs for all Board meetings; collecting and distributing minutes from all MN Campus

Alliance Board and committee meetings; making minor web updates; coordinating and

collecting content for the Campus Resource Guide.

At-Large Representatives (3 open positions)

The At-Large Representatives’ responsibilities include acting as pipelines for the MN

Campus Alliance; serving on the Outreach Committee; working on promoting Training

and Education Initiatives.

Join the Outreach Committee

The Campus Alliance Outreach Committee will be holding a meeting in early July. This committee is responsible for organizing tabling and event participation as well as assisting in the statewide mission of the Campus Alliance. Please contact outreach@mncampusalliance.org for more information.

Get Involved in Planning the Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference

Get involved with planning for the 2009 Minnesota OUT! Campus Conference!

We have created a tentative committee structure and weekend schedule. Please contact our current co-chair, Toni Alberte (mocc@mncampusalliance.org), to get involved as a coordinator, a committee member, or a conference volunteer.

Current Needs:

Website Coordinator

Finance Coordinator (grants, donors, etc)

Committee Members for Finance, Programming (Workshops and Outreach), Conference Logistics & Materials, Advertising and Web Presence, and Much more!

Please let us know how you’d like to get involved!

MN GLBTA Campus Alliance makes new in Grand Forks Herald!

Grand Cities Pride celebrates its second year
Ryan Johnson – 05/30/2009

More than 150 people stopped by the town square in downtown Grand Forks on Saturday afternoon for the second annual Grand Cities Pride. The event was a celebration for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, or GLBT, people from all around the region. Multiple vendors and display tables set up around the area to provide information and help get the message out to the public. MJ Kroll and Alicia Leafgreen, both from Minneapolis, were at the afternoon celebration and performed at a drag show at Sensations later in the night. Kim Jorgensen, co-chair of Grand Cities Pride, said things went pretty well Saturday. One nice thing was the sunny, warm day — she said it snowed in the morning May 10, 2008, when the first pride was held in the city. But besides enjoying the pleasant weather, Jorgensen said the event was for anyone in the region to have a good time and help spread awareness. “It’s really important to bring some visibility to Grand Forks,” she said. “There is a GLBT presence in Grand Forks. This is a celebration that we’re prideful.” Jorgensen said the event is fairly new and organizers are always looking to make the next one bigger and better. A meeting is scheduled at 2 p.m. today at Mamma Maria’s in East Grand Forks for anyone interested in helping plan next year’s event. For more information or to offer to help, e-mail grandcitiespride@hotmail.com or visit www.grandcitiespride.com. Presence everywhere Chris Stoner, the other co-chair of Grand Cities Pride, said this year’s pride featured more events but was pretty comparable to the celebration in 2008. He was hopeful that the event would let everybody relax and enjoy the day together. “I think we just wanted people to come and have a day to celebrate, to have a good time and not worry about all the ugly stuff that’s out there,” he said. Becky Saltzman, a native of Minneapolis and the diversity and inclusion coordinator of the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance, was at the town square to provide more information on efforts her group is taking at universities across the region. It was her first time in Grand Forks, and said she really enjoyed the “community-based” pride here compared with the sometimes overtly corporate prides in larger cities. “People seem to want to come here… to be with the people,” she said. Saltzman said it’s important for people to know that the GLBT community does have a presence everywhere, even in smaller towns or rural areas. It’s also important for gays or lesbians in these communities to be proud, she said. “If you go into a community expecting not be supported, the only person laying down is yourself,” she said. “People who identify as GLBT are everywhere. We’re not just in Hollywood and not just in the arts.” Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com.

Look for us at Festivals throughout the state

Watch for Campus Alliance volunteers at Twin Cities, Rochester, Mankato, and Duluth-Superior Pride Festivals! We will have our info tables at these events. Feel free to get up and join us in the parades at these festivals!

July 10-12 – Rochester Pride

September 5-6 – Duluth Superior GLBTAQI Pride Festival

September 11-12 – Color CoordiNATION Conference

September 12 – South Central Minnesota Pride (Mankato, MN – Sibley Park)