News & Announcements: May 2009

MU Diversity News

MU group tries to find voice in LGBT community

Columbia Missourian -- The room filled with processional music as nine soon-to-be graduates of MU filed into their seats in Neff Auditorium on Thursday.

MU celebrates acceptance, diversity with Pride Prom

The Maneater -- Silver stars hung from the ceiling and purple and black streamers garnished the walls as balloons bounced along the dance floor of the non-judgmental atmosphere.

Men race in high heels to raise awareness of sexual assault

The Maneater -- Stankowski Field was filled with guitar music, cheering and about 70 young men taking turns jogging in pairs of size 11 or 12 wide patent leather black wedges Sunday morning. The men were participating in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Queer Monologues at MU provide safe place for LGBTQ issues

The Maneater -- During the monologue "Sex," performer Cody Davis talked about the common misperception of gay people.

Protesters speak against domestic partner registry

Members of the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, nationally known for their extreme anti-gay protests, were in Columbia on Thursday to protest the city's domestic partner registry.

The truth comes out

Sam Bullington doesn’t believe his termination as a women’s and gender studies professor at the University of Missouri was the result of direct discrimination. But he does question whether those evaluating his performance took into consideration that he was undergoing major physical changes.

MU Wheelchair Basketball Team Recruits New Star Athlete

Christian Basi, News Bureau -- Connor Downes, a high school senior from Rosemount, Minn., is the newest member of the University of Missouri Tiger Wheelchair Basketball Team (TWB).

Call for Participants: Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere

Thank you for your interest in the 2009 F.L.A.M.E. (Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere) program, hosted by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on August 1-4, 2009. Celebrating its 16th year, F.L.A.M.E. is a dynamic, educational program packed with leadership enhancement opportunities, the chance to learn from USOC leaders, Olympians and Paralympians, engage in sports demonstrations and enhance self-discovery.

Peace Panel discusses U.S. involvement with Pakistan, Afghanistan

Katie Moritz, The Maneater -- Mid-Missouri Peaceworks hosted an Afghanistan-Pakistan Peace Panel to discuss the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan on Thursday night.

Readers at Speakers Circle reveal the truth

Campbell Massie, The Maneater -- People gathered for most of the day Wednesday for a day of truth-telling. The event featured speakers reading out instances of discrimination or marginalization sent to them from students through a megaphone.

Rooted fundraises with Shakespeare's Pizza

Daniel Everson, The Maneater -- With dozens of Christian organizations on campus, it can be a challenge for many incoming MU students to choose a spiritual home after arriving in Columbia. To meet the demand, some students are planning a retreat scheduled for next fall to help ease the transition for Christian freshman.

GRL separates from national sorority to pursue activism

Megan Stroup, The Maneater -- MU's Gamma Rho Lambda colony has separated from the national organization, representatives from the sorority's headquarters said. Sara Montion, Gamma Rho Lambda National Sorority spokeswoman, said the MU Delta colony was in the final phase of becoming a chapter when it chose to separate from the national organization.

Students rally around fired professor

Josh Barone, The Maneater -- After years of researching HIV/AIDS politics in South Africa, the first country to include sexual orientation in its constitution, Sam Bullington, a transgender male, wanted to take his research in a new direction.

Student's harassment charge investigated as hate crime

Lyndsie Manusos, The Maneater -- A harassment charge filed April 28 by senior Terence Williams will be investigated has a hate crime. Williams was returning from doing homework in the basement of Hatch Hall to find the N-word and what is believed to be a reference to the Ku Klux Klan written on his display board.

Off Campus Diversity News

California high court upholds gay-marriage ban

Columbia Missourian -- California's Supreme Court upheld the state's gay-marriage ban Tuesday but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that took place before the prohibition passed are still valid — a ruling decried by gay-rights activists as a hollow victory.

Obama picks Hispanic for U.S. Supreme Court

Columbia Missourian -- President Barack Obama on Tuesday nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become America's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, in his first opportunity to shape the country's powerful top tribunal.

Gay marriage proponents plan St. Louis rally

Columbia Missourian -- Supporters of gay marriage are planning a rally in St. Louis, but a court decision halfway across the country will determine if it's a celebration or a protest.

Mo. senator marries partner in Iowa

The Maneater -- Just days after Missouri's first openly gay state senator married her partner in Iowa, she found out her marriage could be recognized in the nation's capital.

Heritage, end of school year celebrated at Black Culture Center

Columbia Missourian -- The crashing of cymbals and the staggered beats of a drum line echoed from one side of MU's Student Recreation Complex to the other on Friday afternoon.

New gay activists are older, established

Columbia Missourian -- Bill Donius never saw himself as an activist. That was reserved for folks on the fringe with garish garb and in-your-face behavior. But when California voters decided in November to outlaw same-sex marriage just six months after the state Supreme Court made it legal, Donius was front and center at a downtown St. Louis rally decrying the action.

Uncertain future

Columbia Tribune -- The economic downturn has threatened the jobs of more than 100 developmentally disabled employees in Mid-Misosuri.

Fighting hate with peace

Columbia Tribune -- At about noon yesterday, a handful of out-of-state protesters set up at the corner of Seventh Street and Broadway in downtown Columbia. The group, affiliated with Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., protested homosexuality by dragging an American flag on the ground and displaying provocative signs, including one that showed President Barack Obama with devil horns.

Westboro visit spurs alternative activities

Columbia Tribune -- The Columbia Human Rights Commission and local groups are sponsoring alternative events to the scheduled Westboro Baptist Church picket this week. Members of the Topeka, Kan.-based church travel the country with signs claiming God hates and condemns to hell various groups, including homosexuals and members of the U.S. military.

Many beliefs, one nation

Columbia Tribune -- The National Day of Prayer Task Force had a friend in the White House. Every year, from 2001 to 2008, the Bush administration would invite members of the evangelical Christian organization to the White House to take part in a formal observance of the May 7 event.