Senior psychology major Katie Vasseur and senior business management major Jordan Williams introduce the Student Summit concerning sexual minorities on campus. Photo credit: Hunter Foote
About 200 students, staff and faculty gathered in the Cougar Dome on Wednesday, March 19 for the Student Government Association’s Student Summit on sexual minorities on campus. The event was the third and final discussion in a series centered upon human sexuality.
Initially, admission was limited current students, faculty and staff. However, everyone was able to be accommodated and a few alumni were also in attendance. Audio and video recordings were banned due to the sensitive subject matter, according to SGA President Jordan Williams, a senior business management major.
Williams joined senior psychology major and SGA’s multicultural senator Katie Vasseur in opening remarks, detailing how the event would be structured.
Vasseur said it was a “sensitive topic” and that during the event everyone was to “approach [it] with the utmost respect.”
Following the presentation of a video during which senior sociology major Jordyn Sun shared her experience in representing sexual minorities on campus, Williams and Vasseur led a Q-and-A with pre-selected questions for a panel of staff, faculty and administration.
The panel was comprised of Dean of the School of Theology Scott Daniels, Senior Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Terry Franson, Associate Dean of Students and SGA Advisor Shino Simons, Special Advisor to the President and Provost Kimberly B.W. Denu, President Jon Wallace and Provost Mark Stanton.
Questions asked of the panel included, “Would a majority of the theology department agree with the biblical interpretation that the policy on human sexuality is based off of?” and, “California state law recognizes the validity of marriage between the member of the same sex. APU does not. What does it mean for APU not to recognize same-sex marriage? Is it constitutional for APU to do this?”
Before the Q-and-A session, Wallace spoke about university statements detailed in APU’s “What We Believe” statements, which were handed out at the event. He pointed to the 115-year tradition of APU, which has been an evangelical Christian school from its inception.
The summit concluded with a live polling session hosted by senior biology major and SGA Senator Sam Papke and Associate Dean of Students/Director of the University Counseling Center Bill Fiala. The audience was asked to text in answers to the poll questions. In between these questions, Fiala offered facts from previous surveys done within the university, as well as other national surveys. He revealed that 3 percent of students at APU identify themselves as a sexual minority.
The purpose of the event, as described by Vasseur, was “for students to critically and thoughtfully engage in the topic.”
“I think my purpose of the event can be described in the statement, ‘I don’t want you to think like me, but I do want you to think,'” Vasseur said. “So this just came out of me realizing … that there is a population on campus that isn’t really acknowledged. So first, to give a voice to that group, and secondly to encourage to students to think about it because most of the students here have the privilege of not having to process through how they theologically and what that actually manifests in their life, and that’s a privilege that other students don’t have.”
Sophomore biblical studies major Austin Welty attended the summit because he wants to support events of this nature on campus.
“Treating people, regardless of their sexuality or all the other things, is really important,” Welty said.
The sophomore described the event as a “good stepping stone” to further action.
According to Williams and Vasseur, the event was not created for “advicating policy change,” but rather to start conversations.
The event has been in the planning stages since August, according to Simmons. She said the creation of the event came from “mutual respect and trust” between the administration and SGA.
“It’s been such a long process,” Simons said. “I think our student government just did a phenomenal job of creating a space where both students and administration could come and collaborate – truly collaborate – because they do care about students.”
Although Vasseur and Simons said they thought the event was a success, they both said they wish more students would have come.
Vasseur specified that she thought the audience was composed mostly of students who already care about sexual minority discussions, but her main target audience is students who “aren’t super-passionate” about these conversations.
“I think that the conversation can really just spark like wildfire and get more and more people talking about it, and that is what I am hoping for,” Vasseur said.