Funds totaling $10,000 have been secured at SUNY Fredonia to support a Reaping the Harvest of Reaching OUT to SUNY initiative whose goal is to promote diversity in LGBTQ issues on campus and, by extension, elsewhere in the SUNY system.
The appropriation succeeds a $10,000 Reach OUT to SUNY grant awarded last year to SUNY Fredonia by what is now known as the SUNY Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Anchor funding was provided by a donor through University Advancement and was matched by the Office of Academic Affairs at SUNY Fredonia.
“This grant was written using the first one as a context -- like a stepping stone -- to the second grant, so there’re connected,” said Amy Cuhel-Schuckers, grants development specialist with the Office of Sponsored Programs.
Creating and sharing a model that provides for the holistic integration of LGBTQ issues in the academic culture of SUNY Fredonia and the entire SUNY system was a focus of the original one-year grant. A campus climate survey, webinar series and two-day conference were supported by the initial grant.
Elements that serve as extensions of last year’s activities will be supported by the new funding, with the goal of helping to institutionalize those elements. Five activities have been identified in the new funding cycle. They are: analysis and dissemination of last year’s climate survey findings; website design and development and compilation and dissemination of LGBTQ resources; development of webinars in the spring and fall terms of 2012; Campus Pride index requisite data gathering in spring 2012 and Campus Pride registration in fall 2012; and completion of the development process for Safe Zone training in spring 2012 and scheduling initial Safe Zone training in fall 2012.
All are designed to build on advancements achieved through last year’s initiatives with a goal of solidifying the Reaping the Harvest model on the SUNY Fredonia campus.
Serving as leads on the Readping the Harvest of Reaching OUT to SUNY project are: Dr. Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, assistant dean, College of Arts & Sciences, and Psychology professor; Dr. Jennifer Dyck, Psychology professor; and Julie Bezek, Counseling Center.
Dr. Virginia Horvath, Vice President for Academic Affairs, who was instrumental in working with the donor and arranging the campus match, had a lead role along with Dr. “Beez” Schell on securing funds for the first Reaching OUT project.
