SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND WASC DIVERSITY
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Diversity Statement

*WASC is an accrediting body that encompasses schools and universities in
 California, Hawaii, and Guam.  It consists of 137 schools which includes the
 UC system and the CSU system.  It also includes many private liberal arts
 colleges and religious institutions.

*This body has been empowered by the state legislature of California - any
 institution that is accredited by WASC is automatically accredited by the
 state.  Being accredited makes it much easierr to receive loans for students
 and research grants for faculty.

*WASC began the process of establishing their diversity statement in 1988.  The
 first draft was good - it included the statement of the University of
 California, Davis Diversity Planning Council, "Diversity includes all groups
 that are part of the working or living environment.  This will include ...
 persons of all ages and sexual orientations."

*Some of the institutions affiliated with WASC, particularly some of the
 religious institutions, were not happy with this statement and worked towards
 changing the clause which included sexual orientation.  The third and final
 draft now has a paragraph which includes, "There is no religious or moral
 consensus on issues of sexual orientation among the institutions accredited
 by this Commission, and it is certainly not the function of the Commission
 to impose its own moral stance with respect to the admission of students or
 employment of staff or faculty."                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*There was an outcry by peopl ein the L/G/B community and other progressive
 people.  The California State University Academic Senate passed a resolution
 calling for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the WASC non-discrimination
 policy.  Some individual campuses such as CSU Fresno have also denounced the
 discriminatory policy.

*The UC campuses have a system wide non-discrimination policy, yet there has
 been little said either by individual campuses, or by the system as a whole.
 There are representatives from both the UC and the CSU system on the
 Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.

*There is a meeting on November 5 in San Francisco at the Holiday Inn,
 Financial District.  Representatives from all member schools have been
 invited and will be able to speak on the Statement of Commission Policy
 Statement on Diversity.  Written commentary will be accepted until November
 15.  The policy is slated to be voted on for approval in February.

*There are more students, staff, and faculty at schools associated with WASC
 than there are employees of the US Military.  Fight against WASC
 discrimination.

WHAT TO DO:

-Find out who your campus representative to WASC is and have them advocate that
 sexual orientation be included in the non-discrimination policy, and
 specifically demand that the paragraph which refers to ssexual orientation as
 a "religious and moral" issue be removed from the policy.

-Focus media attention - campus, local, or gay - on the issue.

-Contact any legislative connections.

-Make campus and local activists and organizations aware of the issue.
 Mobilize to contact people, especially any from your university.

For more information, contact Mindy Michels from the National Lesbian, Gay, and
 Bisexual Student Caucus at (310)825-8500 or Curtis Shepard from the National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force at (213)466-1797.

*****************************************************************************

If you are an alum of any WASC school, please contact your university to let
them know you will *NOT* be donating to the school unless this discriminatory
clause is removed from the WASC Diversity Statement.

Please forward this Fact Sheet to any other nets!  Thank you!

Meredith Lyon
UCLA Chancellor's Advisory Committee for the Gay/Lesbian Community

ecz5mkl@mvs.oac.ucla.edu