Oct. 17 Free Press Editorial
Minnesota State University, Mankato has a unique recruiting tool. The campus has built a national reputation as one that welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students to its campus. That's no small feat for a university in a small city in the heart of the Midwest where you can be labeled as being "different" for bringing a green salad sprinkled with feta cheese to a potluck.
Minnesota State Mankato students and staff, through persistence, set up a center on campus where LGBT students can find help, support and friendship — the same goal many campus groups have, from sororities to political clubs. Yet, unlike many other organizations, the LGBT center often acts as a life line for students to feel accepted, perhaps even giving them the first opportunity in their lives to not have to hide their sexual preference.
The secure position of the 30-year-old LGBT center didn't come easily. Founder of the then Alternative Lifestyles Office in 1977, Jim Chalgren was a fighter who helped the University establish its reputation of acceptance. The center was the second of its kind in the nation.
After Chalgren left Minnesota State Mankato, other student leaders stepped up to the challenge of making sure the center retained some sort of presence on campus, at one time even having to accept an office inside what was once a closet.
The center is now out of the closet, and President Richard Davenport responded to the request of LGBT students and their supporters in 2003 to fund a full-time program coordinator for the office that is now in the newest wing in the Centennial Student Union.
As a result of the support by the University's administration, the center is able to expand what it can do beyond traditional awareness campaigns. Some of those areas include teaching leadership skills and establishing an endowment to fund scholarships and stipends to send students to training sessions. The campus has received national recognition, named one of the top 100 LGBT-friendly campuses in the country in a book published by The Advocate, a magazine geared toward gay rights issues. The center's growth and expansion are something the university and Mankato community should be proud of — and University recruiters should be thrilled about.
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