GLBT a 'safe haven' for students

It stands quietly on Seventh Street, mere feet from the Union, unassuming and modest. \nTo a passersby, it seems like any other administration building. Yet a quick glance at the sign welcoming visitors to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender offices belies that assumption. This is no ordinary campus office.\nIt's a place where men and women can go, regardless of their sexuality, to find a safe haven from the pressures of the University -- and from real life.\nThe group's director, Doug Bauder, has emerged as a priceless resource for countless men and women struggling with their sexuality. \nEquipped with considerable training in pastoral and clinical counseling, Bauder equates confronting one\'s sexuality with deeply significant spiritual questions.\n\"Students struggling with the state of their sexuality are essentially asking life\'s ultimate questions,\" he said. \"They\'re wondering what their families will think, yes, but most importantly, they\'re attempting to determine whether they can integrate their new lifestyle with their religious beliefs. And I believe they can do that. They don\'t have to throw it all away.\"\nOpportunities exist to ease the transition involved in coming out. OUT, the GLBT\'s student union, offers numerous support services, such as the Anti-Harassment Team, a personal support staff that counsels victims of harassment on a one-on-one basis, as well as events such as Miss Gay IU and Lesbopalooza, which took place Oct. 14 in Woodlawn Field. OUT sponsors the Safe Zone program, which designates automobile stickers representing the denouncement of all harassment and intolerance. \nAdditional programs target those involved in the greek system. Lambda 10 \"works to heighten the visibility of gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the college fraternity by serving as a clearinghouse for resources and educational materials related to sexual orientation in the fraternity and sorority experience,\" according to the group\'s Web site.\nStephanie Burnett, a graduate student involved in the Peer Support Program, said the peer supporter listens to the student\'s concerns, provides resources and, more often than not, can relate some common experiences and emotions.\n\"It\'s amazing how powerful sharing a common experience can be when a student is coming out. Often, a student will not know anybody else who identifies as gay or lesbian, so meeting another person and hearing that they too went through similar experiences can be very therapeutic,\" Burnett said. \"The program is a confidential place for a student in the process of coming out to talk to someone who has been there before. It\'s a discreet first step to let a student know that he or she is not alone."