Members: President Simmons, Provost Kertzer, Russell Carey, Margaret Klawunn, Michael Pickett, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, James Baird, Suzanne de la Monte, Lynne Joyrich, Eric Suuberg, Diane Mokoro, Yelen Chihombori Quao, Michael Stewart, Ryan Hartigan, Heather Lee, Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, Katherine Perry, Rebekah Eckstein, Daniel Harrop, and Ken McDaniel were in attendance. Bill Twaddell, Corey Brettschneider, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Timothy Herbert, Evelyn Hu-Dehart, Kiri Miller, Corey Walker, Brittaney Check, Michelle Site, Eva Glieberman, Sunil Hebbar, Catharine Beattie, Gillian Bell Paul Magliocco, and Charlie Kroll were unable to attend.
The minutes of the September 14, 2010 meeting were approved.
Matt Gutmann, Vice President for International Affairs, introduced members of the Pakistan Flood Relief Committee. Areebah Ajani '11 and Farrukh Malik '11 gave an overview of recent events and fundraisers organized to assist in the recovery efforts and to teach people about Pakistan. A teach-in was held on September 24 with seven speakers and 150 people in attendance. A talent show fundraiser held on October 1 raised $2,500 for the recovery effort. Future initiatives of the Committee include an art installation on the College Green, an open mic night, the Adopt a Village project, and a website. A second teach-in is also being planned.
Margaret Klawunn, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, Gail Cohee, Director of Sarah Doyle Women's Center, and Kelly Garrett, Coordinator for LGBTQ Resource Center, spoke about the LGBTQ community at Brown and the campus resources, services, and programs that are available. Their presentation took place in the context of recent LGBTQ bias-related incidents and suicides of young people around the country. The LGBTQ Resource Center works to diminish prejudice and intolerance that can threaten the educational experience and safety of LGBTQ community members and others within the University. The Sarah Doyle Women's Center fosters opportunities and programs for students, faculty, and staff to examine the multitude of issues around gender. A series of events are planned for National Coming Out Week 2010, including an Out to Lunch program with keynote speaker Charles Glickman and a Coming Out panel. A half-day training Safe Zone training session is scheduled for November 15. Safe Zone is a campus-wide program sponsored by the LGBTQ Resource Center that encourages members of the community to identify themselves as visible supporters of the LGBTQ community at Brown. There was discussion and questions among and from the Council about how the University can increase tolerance and open discourse concerning these issues on campus. Suggestions were made regarding steps which can be taken to counter instances of vandalism and harassment in the residence halls, and it was agreed that the Council should discuss these matters further later in the year.
The next meeting of the Brown University Community Council will be held on November 9, 2010 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at Brown Hillel, 80 Brown Street.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Pincince, Secretary of the Brown University Community Council