L G B T   C a m p u s   O r g a n i z i n g

speak.  Ask the Third World Caucus to

ever, it is best to deal with the issue than

jointly sponsor a speaker who is a person

to hope it will go away.  Failure to fol 

of color  or a showing of the film Tongues

low through on commitments, as well as

Untied.  Get the Women's Center or

failure to confront such failures can be

Women's Studies Department to work

very destructive to group trust.  Remem 

with you to bring women speakers.  Join

ber, you can remind people of the com 

with Hillel to feature prominent Jewish

mitments they have made and hold them

speakers, writers or artists.

accountable for these agreements without

being punitive, shaming or blaming.

Coalition Work

You can work with other disenfranchised

Making Agreements

groups to form a coalition group.  This

It is useful to have clear agreements or

new group can work on a common agen 

norms about how the group will operate,

da such as a requirement for incoming

what expectations exist, and what conse 

students to take a course on diversity, or a

quences will happen if expectations are

campus harassment policy, or a hate

consistently not met.  Agreements about

crimes division of campus security.

attendance, communication, confidential 

ity, the number of hours of work per

Support  Other  Issues Visibly

week, etc. are the typical types of agree 

One way to win and develop allies is to

ments that groups make.

act as good allies.  It is important for the

lgbt alliance/group to visibly support oth 

er groups and the issues that concern

them.  It is also important to remember

Failure to follow through on

commitments, as well as fail 

that since there are lgbt people in every

ure to confront such failures

group this is our issue too.  Support can

can be very destructive to

take many forms   letters to the editor,

group trust.

attending events, having a representative

of the lgbt group speak at a rally another

group is holding, having a workshop on

Once the group has made decisions about

the issue, inviting a member of another

what agreements it want to make, it is

group to come and speak to your group

useful to write these down for future ref 

about their concerns, etc.

erence.  It may be useful to give a copy of

prior group agreements to any new mem 

(V) Accountability

bers as part of a new member orientation.

It may also be useful to go over these

One of the major sources of interpersonal

agreements at the beginning of meetings.

conflict and resentment in a group is

Making group norms or agreements

caused by group members not following

explicit allows everyone to understand

through on their commitments.  It is often

how the group operates and makes inclu 

difficult for other group members to

sion and participation easier.

directly deal with the person who has act 

ed irresponsibly.  Sometimes someone

Maintaining Agreements

will feel so guilty about not following

Even though everyone in the group has

through on some task that they will com 

agreed to attend regularly, to be on time,

pletely withdraw from the group.  How 

staff the office phone for one hour each

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B u i l d i n g   a   H e a l t h y   O r g a n i z a t i o n