Helping students find a LGBT-welcoming college

As high school students look toward their future they scrutinize their list of colleges, whittling it to find which they can afford, which has the right combination of classes to meet their career goals, and which is far enough away from home to assure their independence.

But some students are also looking to find the colleges and universities that are welcoming to LGBT students and the Ocean County Library can help them by presenting a program to examine the options.

The Toms River branch, 101 Washington St., will host “Choosing a Gay Friendly College: A Conversation and Reception” for students 14 and older Tuesday Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

 Michael LaSala, author and director of the MSW program at the Rutgers School of Social Work; Christian Oliviera, Program Director for Garden State Equity and founding member of Rutgers University’s Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for gay men; and members and alumni of the Ocean County College Rainbow Alliance along with their advisor Megan Procaccini will discuss the importance of finding a welcoming college atmosphere.

 Members of the Toms River Gay-Straight Book Club will volunteer their laptops to help participants examine a database that presents information about the Campus Climate Index, a national assessment tool by designed by Campus Pride, and other Internet resources.

 Campus Pride, launched in October 2002, is a national nonprofit organization working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students.

 The program is free.  Registration for the program is encouraged but not required.

 The program is sponsored by Insight Out, Ocean County Library’s Diversity Focus Team; Toms River Gay Straight Book Club; Jersey Shore PFLAG; Ocean County College Office of Multicultural Services; The Ocean County Human Rights Commission; and the Toms River South Gay Straight Alliance.

What Would Martin Say?

Panelists and moderator at MLK, Jr. forum.

Nearly 50 people attended the Ocean County Human Relation Commission’s forum “What Would Martin Say? Then and now in the new millennium” Tuesday Jan. 25 in the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library.

Three panelists (Don Bennett, Rosetta Key and Matthew Reid), along with moderator Tom Mongelli and speaker Richard Strada spoke on the significance of King’s legacy.  The panelists also spoke from their own experiences as they attempted to answer the question, “Is the United States a nation where people are judged by the content of their character or by their appearance?”

Strada, OCC’s Executive Vice President for Instruction, described King as a human who had flaws, but also as a person of high integrity who believed that if one exposes evil to good people they will recognize it and oppose it.

Strada said King would be speaking out against social injustices now, but he’d also be crying because people no longer discuss the issues.  Instead they are polarized and battle by trading caustic comments.

 College student and panelist Reid identified the next “second-class” citizens in the US as people who are members of the GLBT community (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual) and discussed the discriminatory issues they may face in the future.

New anchor Rosetta Key described herself as a product of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s and told how thankful she was for all the people who worked so hard to allow her to take advantages of opportunities that were unfairly denied people.

“I am someone who is feasting from the banquet table, “she said.

She also provided a two-question interview she did with her father.

“I had a dad who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said.

Key credited her parents (her mother died when Rosetta was five-years old) for passing along strong, positive values and an appreciation for education to bring her to where she is now.

Journalist Don Bennett spoke about the historical antecedents that initiated the civil rights movement in Ocean County, including the impact of the Ku Klux Klan in the county.  He said the factors that were popular in promoting the KKK are still with us today: fear of people who are different, and problems with the economy.

Strada said the best way to overcome that fear is to “sit down and break bread” with people who are different.

A slideshow of photos from the forum can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceancountylibrary/sets/72157625785368363/show/