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		More info on Oklahoma GLBT scholarshipxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The following is the response from Kent Doss to my questions regarding yesterday's OLIC press release.
(Posted 11-28-00)

We are still forming the committee and some of the members have not confirmed yet, but there will be 11 people. Becuase the chair of the committee arranges the selection process and is very intimately involved, she will not be a judging member. Another student from UCO will fill a judging position on the committee. So far the committee consists of Mandy Whitten, Amanda Bowles - Co-chair of University of Oklahoma GLBTF (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered and Friends), Christopher Guest - member - OSU SODA (sexual orientation diversity association), Paul Barby, Nancy Mc Donald - former national president of PFLAG, Rhonda Rudd - co-chair of Central Oklahoma GLSEN. I will let you know when our other committee members have been confirmed. There should be 3 more student representatives and 3 more community members.

We plan to advertise the scholarship through youth groups, high-school GSAs, local queer media such as yourself, and other youth resources. The objective of the scholarship is to award youth involvement and leadership in the GLBT community so logistically speaking, the youth that we are targeting should not have any serious problems with anti-gay sentiment. If the person selected as a winner wishes to remain anonymous, OLIC will of course honor that wish although we would hope that our winner will serve as a role model to other youth.

The funding for this scholarship, like other OLIC programs will come from the generous contributions of OLIC supporters. We are supported both by individuals and GLBT companies and organizations.

The idea for the scholarship came about after we realized that similar programs are being offered in so many other states. We refuse to have limited resources for our youth simply because of the conservative environment of the state. There are all kinds of scholarships for different leadership roles and minority groups, but there is nothing in our state until now that addresses the needs of queer youth. After all GLBT youth are far more likely to be kicked out or leave their home than any other group of students. They are also likely to feel less welcomed in the typically homophobic high school environment. OLIC wants to provide some counter balance to this problem.

Also as youth activists, the members of OLIC are tired of watching talented youth leave the state for a more accepting college environment. We hope to give young queer leaders some more incentive to stay in the state and share their talents.

Because we want to reach as many youth as possible and raise funding to support this program we are seeking as much media coverage as possible. The real effect of this scholarship, in its beginning stages at least is a symbolic one. An award of $1000 may be significant to one student, but in the grand scheme of things it's not going to create real change. The real strength of this project comes when queer youth realize that they are valued as activists and that Oklahoma isn't such a bad place after all.

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