Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Resource Center Youth Campus Visit

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder will host a youth visit on Monday, February 15. The program, CU OUT on Campus, is designed to encourage high school students to pursue a college education.

"Gay teens are disproportionately at risk for suicide," said Beverly Tuel, director of the GLBT Resource Center. "They face a lot of obstacles in high school and may not follow through on their academic careers and dreams. The campus visit is one way we can provide a positive way for them to seek higher education and show them that they can succeed in college and at CU. We are really excited about it."

Activities for the youth campus visit include shadowing a CU student, lunch with professors and representatives from Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing and other departments, and a scavenger hunt designed to familiarize the students with campus services.

Robb Hernandez, a CU sophomore and publicity coordinator for the center, believes that this outreach effort is a valuable one. "When I was in middle school I hoped that high school would be different for queer young people. When I came out in high school I wondered if college would be different. CU OUT on Campus is an important step in any young person's coming out process. Youth are finally able to see that once attained, college life, queer studies classes and openly gay professors and classmates can be more than beneficial, it is life saving."

This is the first time the center is offering the campus youth visit. Ian Macgillivray, the center's academic associate, hopes that 10-20 youth will attend and develop a connection with the university.

"We've been contacting individuals, teachers and organizations in the Boulder-Denver metro area that work with gay youth and sent a general mailing to area highs school counselors. We've received a lot of support from the CU-Boulder Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alumni Association, OASOS (Open and Affirming Sexual Orientation Support) and CU administration," Macgillivray said.

The GLBT Resource Center provides information and referral services, educational, cultural and social programming and advocacy for the GLBT communities on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. It also provides networking for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered groups on and off campus.

For more information call 303-492-1377 or visit the web site at www.stripe.colorado.edu/~glbrc/Home.html. The site includes the center's resource guide, calendar, hours and location.