ISU petition demands changes to make LGBT students feel 'safe'
An online petition started two weeks ago titled 'Make Illinois State University Safer for Queer Students' has currently received over 2,800 signatures.
The petition demands services that the university already provides.
An online petition started two weeks ago titled “Make Illinois State University Safer for Queer Students” has currently received over 2,800 signatures. The petitioners argue that “queer hatred culture on campus has reached an all time high, and queer students are no longer feeling safe.”
The petition makes three demands on the university: to provide “counselors for student counseling services, along with the addition of a telehealth resource for students,” to create “a designated safe space for LGBTQIA+ students,” and finally for Illinois State’s president to make “a public apology…for neglecting queer students.”
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ISU, however, already provides robust counseling services to its students.
Student Counseling Services offers both group and individual counseling options. Students are welcome to “stop by” the counseling office during operating hours, and can call after hours to “immediately” speak with a counselor.
ISU also has multiple designated “safe spaces” for its students. The Multicultural Center houses a “Green Room” for students to “spend time in silence.” There is also a “Reflection/ Prayer Room” for students to “spend time in quiet reflection.”
Additionally, Student Counseling Services has a “Relaxation Room” to provide students in therapy a “safe and comfortable space.”
The petitioners’ demands come in the wake of an incident involving an ISU fraternity allegedly spray-painting the “f-slur” on one sorority and one fraternity house.
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The Vidette, ISU’s student newspaper, states that queer students and staff should be “included in the conversations surrounding the punishments for the fraternity and its members.”
In response to the incident, President Kinzy addressed ISU in a video message. In her message she labeled the vandalism incident the “antithesis of the core values of this university.”
Campus Reform has contacted all individuals and organizations mentioned for comment and will update accordingly.
