Pride Alliance | A Georgia Tech Student Organization

General Meeting - 11.9.2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:27:24 +0000

The meeting kicked off with introductions as usual. Ryan then announced that this week is GT’s Diversity Week 2009 and suggested checking out the schedule of events. Pride Alliance will be participating in “My _____ is beautiful” which is happening on Tuesday, 11-10, at 11 AM in the Student Center Theatre. Austin Lawry will speaking about Pride Alliance and you should go support her if you can! Ryan also asked if anyone was interested in participating in the Student Diversity Symposium which is next Monday at 7 PM. Please let him know if you are.

Exec meetings are being moved to 7:30 PM in the Pine Room on the Mondays when we don’t have a general meeting. The Pine Room is located directly across the hall from the Student Involvement Center. Don’t forget that Exec meetings are open to everyone!

GayBLT is an end of the semester potluck social. The exec board will provide a sandwich bar, but members are encouraged to bring a side dish or beverage to share. GayBLT is scheduled for December 5th at 1:00 PM in the Piedmont Room. There will be sign ups for food going around next general meeting and reminders will be sent out the week prior.

BGO (Big Gay Out) is our end of the semester dance party that was rescheduled a few times. It is now on November 21st from 9 PM - 1 AM at Under the Couch on West Campus. The cost to attend is $5 unless you are a paid member of Pride Alliance and you get in for free! The theme for this year’s BGO was announced at the meeting and it is Colors of the Rainbow! Interpret as you will, but please dress appropriately.

Adam discussed some interesting news stories including the Maine gay marriage repeal and how that affects us.

After that, Adam introduced our guest speaker for the night, Michelle Cohen of GT Health Promotions. Michelle talked to us all about sexual health and how to keep sex safe. She had a lot of great demonstrations and interactive segments in her presentation. She also had lots of fun giveaways! If you would like to know more about Health Promotions or Michelle, try exploring here.

Our next meeting will be on November 23rd at 6:00 PM in Room 301 of the Student Center.

General Meeting - 10.26.2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:09:35 +0000

We began the meeting by discussing Coming Out Week. Below are all of the events, locations, and times:

10/26: General meeting and presentation on the state of marriage
6:00pm//Klaus, Room 1447

10/27: Tea with the WRC
11:00am//Women’s Resource Center (Flag Building)

Coming out as an ally
7:00pm//Campanile, rain location is Van Leer auditorium

10/28: Being out after college discussion panel
7:00pm//Van Leer, Room C-241

Safe Space Training
12:00pm//Register at safespace.gatech.edu

10/29: Coming out workshop
11:00am//Counseling Center

What religion says about homosexuality
7:00pm//Student Center, Crescent Room

Julie will be sending out emails every day this week with the event details listed.

Ryan and Adam then discussed Atlanta PRIDE and how we will be participating this year. We are scheduled to march in the parade and would like as many people as possible to march with us. Keep a lookout for emails with details and the Facebook group that Adam will make.

Julie gave a brief summary of the AIDS Walk. We will have raised about $1500 after some matching fund donations go through. We were covered on Channel 46 news and showed the video clip in the meeting.

We asked if anyone had participated in a few past campus events that would give us points for ensuring that we keep our office for next year. These events are Fall Networking Night, Women’s Leadership Conference, and Team Buzz. If you participated in any of these events, please email Ryan Epp. Another event that we can get points for that has not happened yet is Fall President’s Council Meeting. If you are interested in going to this event, please email Ryan Epp as well.

Adam shared some exciting news stories including an article on the Hate Crime Bill, which is awaiting to be signed by President Obama.

Ryan then introduced Dr. Lawry and she began her presentation on the state of marriage in the United States. She will be sending her power point to us and we will forward it onward to the listserv so everyone can have a copy.

General Meeting - 10.12.2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:28:27 +0000

Ryan started out the meeting by wishing everyone a “Happy Coming Out Day”, which was this past Sunday. We discussed our events for our upcoming Coming Out Week (10.26.09-10.30.09) and tabling/chalking for GT COW. We really need people to help table and chalk both the week of GT COW and the week before. Please email Julie (jchampion3@gatech.edu) if you can help with this. There will also be sign up sheets in the office. Here are the events for GT COW, but keep in mind more information will be coming your way via email:

Monday: General Meeting with Dr. Lawry (Discussion on the State of Marriage in the US)

Tuesday: Coming Out Workshop, Coming out as an Ally

Wednesday: Safe Space I, Panel Discussion

Thursday: WRC Tea, Religion and Homosexuality

All week: COW Fair tabling on Skiles

Next, we discussed Atlanta PRIDE which is taking place on Halloween weekend this year. We are trying to participate in both the Parade and the Children’s Festival. There will most likely be a Facebook event coming your way, so please RSVP if you would like to partake in these events.

Julie discussed the AIDS Walk and the progress we have made. She also gave suggestions on how to continue gathering donations this week because the walk is in t-minus 5 days. She also handed out t-shirts. Please get in touch with her before Friday if you bought a t-shirt and need to pay for it and pick it up.

Ryan announced an opportunity to participate in a photo shoot for the new Health Services brochure on October 15th from 9:45-11:00 AM. Please email Michelle Cohen (michelle.cohen@health.gatech.edu) by noon on Wednesday if you would like to participate. There are FREE t-shirts for those that do!

He also announced that an Electrical Engineering professor is presently making the change from male to female and is giving a “Trans 101″ lecture this Thursday (10.15.09) at 2:30 PM in room 102 of the Microelectronics Research Center. Ryan encourages everyone to attend this event.

Austin gave our “This day in GLBT history…”, which something new we are starting. Most notably, yesterday was the anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death.
Next, Tim mentioned how we are paying for the AIDS Walk T-shirts and that we are currently working on next year’s budget.

Adam and Tim then showed 2 videos relating to GLBT History Month, which is the month of October. The videos were Pride: A Civil History and GLBT History Month 2009 Overview. Please watch these if you did not attend the meeting.

Have a great week!

General Meeting- 9.28.2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:59:07 +0000

Today we discussed moving Coming Out Week because it is currently scheduled during Georgia Tech’s Homecoming week. We decided to move GT COW to the week of October 26th-30th. We will still try to do an awareness event for the actual Coming Out Day which is October 11th. We discussed advertising for the week through tabling and chalking. Adam passed around slips and asked everyone to write down a theme idea for Big Gay Out. He would still like ideas as BGO will be pushed back a few weeks. Email him at adam.caskey@gatech.edu if you have an idea!

Tim let us know that the door code will be changing very soon and the paid members will be receiving an email with the code when it does. He also asked for any good fundraising ideas. Email him at tcarter7@gatech.edu if you have an idea!

Adam reminded everyone to join the new portal for student organizations, JacketPages. The survey for BGO’s theme will be sent out using this site, so if you want to vote you will have to join.

Julie sent around sign-up sheets for tabling and t-shirts for the AIDS Walk. Please email her (jchampion3@gatech.edu) if you can table anytime between 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM on October 7th-9th! Remember that anyone can table, not just people who are signed up for the walk. If you don’t want or can’t do the walk, tabling would be an awesome way to get involved withe the AIDS Walk. If you aren’t signed up, you can still sign up here.

Let’s Do Lunch will be tomorrow as usual at 11:00 AM in the Student Center Cafeteria. Look for Girl Austin who will be saving the tables in the greenhouse area.

Keifer Dunn (kdunn6@gatech.edu) came and spoke about the National Equality March that is happening in Washington D.C. the weekend of October 10th. Tickets to go are $45 and you would be leaving early Saturday morning and coming home early Monday morning. Please email Keifer if you are interested in participating in this National March.

General Meeting-September 14, 2009

Pride Alliance — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:53:53 +0000

We would like to welcome Adam Caskey as our new Vice President! We discussed the process of how Adam was chosen and the specific rules in the Constitution regarding this procedure.

Dr. Ruperto Perez came to speak about the GT Counseling Center and the services they offer such as a Stress Management Series course and a GLBT support group called Connections. This group is limited to about 12 students, so if you are interested contact Dr. Perez (ruperto.perez@vpss.gatech.edu) ASAP!
KC Vavra spoke on behalf of Michelle Cohen and the GT Campaign for Every Body. There are four focus groups to attend if you want to share your opinions on body image. Email KC (kcvavra@gatech.edu) if you are interested.

We will be having a Scavenger Hunt this week on Friday. Each team needs at least one old member of Pride and one new member of Pride. Teams should only include 2 or 3 people. Please bring a digital camera with a cord so you can email the pictures to us. There is a $2 entrance fee and the deadline is 8:30 PM. Meet at 6 PM in the PA Office for an awesome time!

Georgia Tech Coming Out Week (GT COW) is October 12th-October 16th. The events are as follows:
M-State of Marriage Discussion with Dr. Lawry

T-Coming Out as an Ally
W-Alumni Panel, Being Out Post-College

Th-Religion and Homsexuaity

F-Big Gay Out (Party @ Under the Couch, woo!)
In addition to these evening events, there will also be events during the day including a COW Fair on Skiles, Safe Space Training, COW Workshop, and an event with WRC.

We have a couple GT 1000 groups helping us with Drag Show publicity and our Monthly Awareness Campaigns (MACs). We need volunteers for the photo shoot for the Drag Show and ideas for our MACs. Please email Ryan (ryan.epp@gatech.edu) if you can help with either.

Julie talked about the AIDS walk and encouraged anyone who has already signed up to raise money and anyone who hasn’t signed up to sign up! This is our team website: http://www.aidswalkatlanta.com/GTPA_OPA. Email her if you have questions (jchampion3@gatech.edu)
Austin spoke about Let’s Do Lunch. Scott spoke about the raid at the local gay bar, The Eagle, and the National Equality March in Washington D.C.

General Meeting- 8.24.2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:47:47 +0000

Welcome back everyone! This was our first general meeting of the semester and the meetings will continue to be held bi-weekly all year. We had a great turn-out and we even ran out of chairs!

We discussed the events going on during Welcome Week (aka this week):

Monday, August 24th
What: General Meeting, Ice Breakers, and Pizza!
When: 6:00 PM
Where: Student Center, Room 321
(refer to this is you aren’t sure where to go)

Tuesday, August 25th
What: Swimming!
When: 6:00 PM
Where: CRC Leisure Pool (the one with the water slide!)

Wednesday, August 26th
What: Crazy Bitch Bingo
When: meet at 7 PM in the Student Center, Bingo starts at 8 PM
Where: Joe’s on Juniper (check it out)

Thursday, August 27th
What: Bowling!
When: 6:00 PM
Where: Tech Rec in the Student Center

Friday, August 28th
What: BBQ! (aka delicious food!)
When: 6:00 PM
Where: Skiles Lawn (grass area in between Skiles and the Student Center)

We also reminded everyone of our weekly Let’s Do Lunch (LDL) held in the Student Center Cafeteria at 11 AM on Tuesdays.

Another fun and exciting bit of information that we covered at the meeting is that we will be participating in the AIDS Walk Atlanta! Our team is a joint team with Omega Phi Alpha, Service Sorority (They are in the office right beside us in the Student Involvement Center!). Anyone is welcome to participate in any way from donating money to running/walking the race! Here is our team website. Be sure to register and join our team if you can or would like to participate. The walk is on Sunday, October 18th. Also, if we are the team (only teams from Atlanta schools apply) with the most participants registered between now and the end of the month, we get a FREE ICE CREAM SOCIAL! So register away and make a donation if you can!!

We are looking for a person to fill our currently vacant Vice President position on Executive Board. Please email Ryan Epp (ryan.epp@gatech.edu) if you are interested in interviewing for the position.

Brandon Lewis spoke to us about a LGBT geared Bible study organized through the Wesley Foundation and encouraged people from across the spectrum of religion to attend. An interest sheet was passed around, but you can email Brandon (b_lewis@gatech.edu) for more info if you are interested.

Please email me (jchampion3@gatech.edu) if you will or think you might attend the Crazy Bitch Bingo on Wednesday night ASAP. Also, include in your email if you can drive and how many people can fit in your car.

Have a great week!

General Meeting 4/13/2009

Pride Alliance — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:27:45 +0000

This is our last general meeting of the semester

Martha told everyone about Relay for Life which was last weekend. We raised $500 and several people showed up and participated with us. Thanks to everyone that came or participated in some way.

Austin explained Day of Silence and passed around lanyards and cards to show to people that are curious about why you are not speaking. If you would like to participate, email Austin or stop by the office and pick up a lanyard. Day of Silence is Friday, April 17th.
Our End of Year Picnic is scheduled for this Sunday in Piedmont Park from 1-4 PM. It is a potluck event, so bring your favorite dish!
Ryan made announcements about office use. Please remember to sign in and out if you are in the office and please do not give out the office code. Only paid members and officers are allowed to be in the office alone. If you are an unpaid member, you must be accompanied by a paid member or an officer.

Good luck on Finals!

General Meeting- March 30th, 2009

Pride Alliance — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:32:39 +0000

This is our last General Meeting of this semester

Tomorrow is our weekly Let’s Do Lunch at 11 AM in the Student Center Food Court. However, this week we will be attending the SGA debates at the Campanile. We will meet and get our food and then go out to the campanile together.

KC spoke about the opportunities at Health Services to get HPV vaccines and gave out fun goodies.

Martha talked about Relay for Life and hopes that as many people as possible can come because it will be really fun. Check out the website (www.relayforlife.org/gatech)

Austin spoke about the Drag Show (check out the Facebook event). Be sure to bring a photo ID (not a BuzzCard…either a driver’s license or a passport). You must be 18 or older to enter. Bring money to tip the talented contestants! We need lots and lots of volunteers. Contact Martha or Austin for details. If you volunteer, you don’t have to pay a cover charge! We also need a D.J., so contact Ryan if you can help. See the website for more details about the show and sign ups to volunteer (http://www.pride.gatech.edu/drag/)
Our annual end of year picnic is coming up soon and we will send an email with more details.

The Day of Silence is on April 17th this year. It is a day of rememberance for people that have been attacked or even killed because of their sexual orientation. You can participate by not talking for the entire day. There are speaking cards to show people that are curious about your silence. There are speaking cards in the office and you can contact any of the officers for details.
The Vagina Monologues is tonight at 8 PM and we’ll be going as a group. Please stay if you’re interested.

Thanks and we’ll see you at the rest of the events this semester!

General Meeting 3/9/2009

Pride Alliance — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:48:26 +0000

This is our first meeting with our new officers

Reminder: Let’s Do Lunch is every Tuesday at 11 AM. We meet outside the Student Center food court at 11 and walk in together 10 minutes later.

The Monthly Awareness Campaign (MAC) for this month will be on March 25th and 26th. This month’s issue is bisexuality. A sign-up sheet for tabling from 10 AM-3PM on each day went around.

The Drag Show is on April 3rd @ Wild Mustang benefiting Chris Kids, Inc. (http://www.chriskids.org/) We are still looking for people to help with fundraising (i.e. donations of supplies, prizes, etc). Also, if anyone would like to help make a banner for advertising on Skiles, please stay after the meeting today.
The website for the Drag Show still needs work because it has all the info from last year still on it. Anyone skilled in HTML or Dreamweaver would be very beneficial in updating the site. The website is found here: www.pride.gatech.edu/drag

We are in dire need of volunteers and participants for the drag show. You can sign up for either volunteering or participating in the show on the drag show website. We really need participants or there cannot be a show . There are prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places!

Relay for Life is on April 10th (Friday after the drag show) from 6 PM-6AM. We have 4 people on our team and over $500 raised! You can sign up online or Martha can help you to sign up online (www.relayforlife.org/gatech)

Office Hours for this semester are as follows:

Ryan: Tuesday/Thursday 12-1 PM
Martha: Thursday 1-3 PM
Tim: Fri 1-3 Pm
Julie: Wednesday/Thursday 6-7PM

Austin: Wednesday 1-2 PM, Thursday 11 AM-12PM

This concludes our meeting for this week. The next general meeting is March 30th.

General Meeting 2/9/2009

Pride Alliance — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:19:36 +0000

This week is Freedom to Marry Week, and Pride Alliance is having events this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They are as follows:

Tuesday - Broken Hearts Club @ 7:00 pm at a location to be emailed out.

Wednesday - Dinner at Ray’s @ 7:30. We will meet at Einsteins Brothers Bagels at 7 pm.

Thursday - GT Night at the Aquarium. Tickets have gone up to $13. We will meet at 5:30 pm in front of Einsteins Brothers Bagels.

Spring Partay, our annual club party, will happen on March 6th at Under the Couch.
Our next Monthly Awareness Campaign is March 25th and 26th, and the theme is Bisexuality.

Our annual charity Drag Show is happening on April 3rd this year at the Wild Mustang, and we are in need of some manpower. If you are able to help out, please let any of the officers know. The Drag Show raises money to support CHRIS Kids Rainbow House program, which is a wonderful cause to support.
Relay for Life is happening on April 10th this year, and Pride can finally have a team because it’s not the same night as the Drag Show. This is a great cause, and a lot of fun. Anyone who would like to sign up on the Pride Alliance team should email Martha at mreith3@gatech.edu for sign up instructions or more information.

At our next general meeting (February 23rd), we will be having Danny Ingram speak to us about Gays In the Military. He is very knowledgeable about the issue and his presentation should be very interesting.

Last, but not least, the results from our officer elections are as follows:

President - Ryan

Vice President - Martha

Treasurer - Tim

Secretary - Julie

Publicity Chair - Austin Lawry
That about wraps up the night’s meeting, and we’ll see you all throughout the week.