University commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students has gotten stronger during this school year with the hiring of a full-time director and graduate assistant for the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns.

New Director Curt McKay, hired last fall, said he is working full time to provide services to students and faculty on campus.

“I think it will give us more time to really focus on what students need,” said McKay.

The starting point for McKay’s outreach to homosexual and transgender students and faculty will begin with a survey that will be available to the entire campus using massmail.

“What we’re trying to do with this survey is find out as much as we can about the actual climate for LGBT people on this campus,” he said.

In 1987, an organizational taskforce met together to discuss the needs of homosexual and transgender students and faculty on campus. The committee recommended the creation of a full-time position to deal with issues that confronted LGBT students and faculty on a daily basis.

The office, however, was not created until the early 1990s, and it was not until this year that the Interim Chancellor Richard Herman allowed the office to hire a full-time director. In addition to the staff increase, the office, located on the third floor of the Union building, also added on more space for meetings and other needs.

The budget for the organization last year was $53,500. It petitioned for extra funding, and the University appropriated an additional $80,000 to help cover the salaries of staff, program funding, supplies and rent for the space.

The office provides services to several groups that support and unite homosexual and transgender students, faculty and allies including Coming Out Support Group, Queer Grads, Ladies Who Love Ladies and Pride – the largest LGBT group on campus.

Philip Reames, sophomore in engineering and newly elected political chair of Pride, said he feels the extra space will allow the office to help more students.

“Having somebody here all the time that will meet and talk will help a lot,” he said.

Reames said he noticed that more people stop by the office since it is open longer during the day. The new space in the office accommodates more students involved in these groups and allows a private place for discussion, he said.

“It’s an easy, available place to come in and talk so you don’t have to worry about people overhearing things or taking things the wrong way,” Reames said.

Sue Kazmierczak, the graduate assistant for the office, said she feels that having someone on staff during normal business hours will reduce the frustration students had in the past.

“It takes a lot of courage for a student to come up here and meet with us,” she said. “To come up to a closed door, it’s almost like a slap in the face.”

Kazmierczak worked alongside McKay to provide students and faculty with a listening ear, support and information by adding a library and career center to the office. The space already has a television and is equipped with cable so people can stop by to chat and relax.

“I think it will affect the campus in a positive way because it will give them more information and it’s a safe place for students to go,” she said.

McKay said he hopes to gather even more resources for students, such as a list of courses with LGBT interest. He is also working to create an undergraduate minor in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies.

In addition to serving students, McKay hopes to expand the services available to faculty and staff. Currently working on developing a list of alumni contacts, McKay said he hopes this network will assist LGBT people on campus in finding jobs and receiving advice from people who have dealt with discrimination.

“The office doesn’t exist just to serve students, although I think that’s the general perception,” said McKay.

McKay is optimistic about the future of LGBT and feels that students today seem more tolerant, but hopes to see an even greater change.

“I don’t want us just to be tolerated,” he said. “I want us to be accepted as equals.”