| Gay
and Lesbian Alumni
It’s hard to believe that as late as 1987, members
of Rice’s gay and lesbian student organization
would cover their faces with bags or record album covers
to avoid being identified. A few years ago, then-president
Malcolm Gillis convened the first meeting of his committee
on GLBT campus climate issues. Now, Queers &
Allies (Q&A) is providing a strong, student-run
support network to make the GLBTQA community on campus
stronger and more visible.
The moral of the story? We’ve come a long way
in the last 20 years, but there’s much more ground
to cover. As alumni, we are essential to the continued
development of a harmonious campus environment. Our
cohesion as a group and visibility as informed members
of the Rice alumni network are essential to helping
Rice’s future alumni have a better university
experience.
While we’re most certainly an extremely diverse
group of alumni, we share some core values; We’re
proud of Rice, we’re proud of who we are, and
we’re proud of the contribution GLBT students
have made to the history of Rice as one of the nation’s
foremost academic institutions.
GALA welcomes you as a member of one of the most dynamic
alumni groups Rice has to offer.
Corey
Devine ’03
A Welcome from Rice's President
Rice University is committed to providing
a quality and supportive educational environment
for all of our students. The opening in fall 2005
of GATHER, the new campus resource center to support
Rice's GLBT student population, was an indication
of our commitment. Many alumni responded favorably
to this campus effort.
Rice's GLBT alumni — like alumni from many other institutions — have said that college was challenging enough without the added dimension of being gay or lesbian in a community that may not have always been supportive. Times are changing. It is my hope that through increased support for student initiatives, campus dialogue and programming, and with an active alumni organization, the university can continue to make progress.
The Rice community will continue to build an environment that supports our students — current and past — and prepares them for future success. Through this group, I hope that alumni will have the opportunity to enrich the lives of their peers and especially the lives of Rice's current students. Thank you for dedicating your time, energy, and resources to support Rice's GLBT community.
David W. Leebron
President, Rice University
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Upcoming Events
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