History of the GLBTQA Community at St. Olaf College
During the 2005-2006 academic year, SOLGEN will be compiling the history of the the GLBTQA community at St. Olaf College. The timeline below is a start to this project, and we invite current and former faculty, staff, students, and community members to contribute text and photos to this section of the website. Send information, suggestions, or corrections to solgen-info@stolaf.edu.
Timeline
1986-87: OLGA (St. Olaf Lesbian and Gay Alliance)
OLGA, the St. Olaf Lesbian and Gay Alliance, was in the planning stages in the spring of 1986, and became a campus student organization during the 1986-87 academic year. Prior to that, confidential support groups had been organized through the St. Olaf Counseling Center in 1984-85 and 1985-86.
1992-93: St. Olaf College Employee and Student Protection of Equality Resource Manual
AGAPE (All-Campus Group to Advance and Protect Equality)
In November 1990, St. Olaf President Melvin George appointed a committee to review, develop, and evaluate strategies and methods for the awareness and prevention of all forms of prejudice, bigotry, and bias through the educational program of the college. This human relations handbook is designed for quick reference to offices and person on campus who are available for counsel and advice.
From the handbook: "St. Olaf College is committed to providing an environment in which every member of this community is treated with respect, a community that recognizes and reflects diversity and encourages an open exchange of ideas. Personal attacks or inappropriate judgments based on race, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or other ways of categorizing people cannot be tolerated at St. Olaf. Harassing behavior, either verbal or physical, which threatens, intimidates, or in any way contributes to a hostile environment for individuals in this community is not in accord with the goals and mission of the college."
June 30, 1993: SØLGA Letter
SØLGA's mission is to:
a) Create a context in which gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender alumni may share their St. Olaf experiences as well as their current lives.
b) Serve as a visible social and informational resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender alumni and students.
c) Offer those students a safe "bridge" between academia and the alternatives open to them as sexual minorities in the larger society.
d) Join forces (whether educational, moral, spiritual, or financial) to promote a supportive environment for sexual minorities within the St. Olaf College community and to address problems that arise from homophobia.
June 30, 1993: SØLGA Update
SØLGA's participation in Pride '93 was an unqualified success. It was an opportunity to meet with lesbian, gay, and bi alumni at SØLGA's booth and at Saturday's picnic. Results also included a substantial increase in our membership. Over the two-day period, fifty new members were signed up. Welcome to all new members. SØLGA membership now stands at 125 (104 alumni and 21 non-alumni partners). Six additional contacts were identified, and a number of people who know St. Olaf grads picked up membership information to forward to their friends. Five current students signed in, including some of next year's OLGA leadership.
June 25-26, 1994: SØLGA - Stonewall 1994, New York Gathering
SØLGA plans to have a gathering and celebration of St. Olaf Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alumni during the Stonewall celebration in New York City. If you plan on being in New York the weekend of June 25-26, 1994, please celebrate STONEWALL with other Oles in the Big Apple. There will be brunch and a SØLGA meeting at 10 am on June 25 at the Broadway Diner, and we will participate as a group in the International March on the United Nations on Sunday, June 26. We hope to see you there for an Um-Ya-Ya time.
September 2006: First Annual "Our Whole Lives" Welcome Luncheon
May 2007: First Annual Gender and Sexuality Senior Banquet
September 2007: Establishment of the Gender and Sexuality Center as Student Honor House
The Gender and Sexuality Center is located in the Thompson House, providing a multi-gender home for nine students and a “safe space” for campus organizations to meet. The GSC staff works to educate the St. Olaf community about issues of gender and sexuality, helping people to understand the relevance of these issues in their own lives, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, the staff is working to establish a permanent Gender and Sexuality Center on campus that would continue to serve as an umbrella organization for other campus groups concerned with gender and sexuality.
