As part of an ongoing campaign to establish a resource center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at Georgetown, members of GUPride presented Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez with a preliminary proposal yesterday. The proposal addressed GLBT students’ concerns, the university’s Catholic identity and legal issues regarding the implementation of a center that would cater to the needs of GLBT students, GUPride President Joe McFadden (COL ’02) said.

At Monday’s meeting, students presented Gonzalez with over 1,000 signatures on a petition gathered in the past month, according to GUPride member Danielle DeCerbo (COL ’02). The petition read, “We as members of the Georgetown community recognize that current university resources do not meet the needs of GLBT students and we support the creation of a staffed resource center to address those needs.”

Gonzalez said he’s still “willing to have conversations with students,” but declined further comment.

Students entered the meeting hoping to hear Gonzalez issues of contention regarding the creation of the center, McFadden said.

“We went into the meeting expecting some sort of response to the meeting that took place three weeks ago,” McFadden said. Student supporters of the resource center have been meeting with administrators regularly since the beginning of the academic year.

McFadden said that since Gonzalez did not provide them with a verbal or written response, they are hoping to meet their proposed goals for Monday’s meeting at a similar meeting next Tuesday.

Some of the resource center’s supporters had asked Gonzalez for a March 1 deadline, asking him to lay out and discuss his issues of contention by that date, according to McFadden. cFadden said Gonzalez has voiced concern over the university’s Catholic identity. At the meeting, Gonzalez said he would provide supporters with a written list of his concerns by the second or third week of January, McFadden said.

McFadden said Gonzalez organized a committee composed of students and administrators last summer in response to a report submitted by GLBT students that cited instances of university discrimination against sexual minorities. After meeting every week during the summer, the committee drafted a report requesting that the committee be made a permanent entity and that the university assign an administrator to deal with GLBT issues. The purpose of the center, according to student supporters, is to provide GLBT students with an environment free of discrimination where they feel they can be themselves.

McFadden said students have also started a letter writing campaign from which Gonzalez will be we receiving letters from alumni, faculty, staff and students in support of the center. Approximately 50 letters were mailed this weekend, according to cFadden.

Jesuit poet and renowned Vietnam War activist Rev. Daniel Berrigan, S.J. has endorsed students’ attempt for a resource center, McFadden said. While he is the only Jesuit who has supported the center, supporters said they would be attempting to gain the support of more.

Until further action is taken by the administration, the center’s supporters said they plan to meet with Rev. Brian O cDermott, S.J., in the near future to discuss in more details the issues concerning Georgetown’s Catholic identity.

Last week GUSA unanimously passed a resolution formally supporting the creation of the resource center. The resolution was presented by Anthony House (COL ’03) on behalf of the GLBT community and co-sponsored by GUSA representatives Mary D’Ariano (NHS ’03) and Trey Street (SFS ’03).