GSBA Reaches Out to Seattle's High Schools

The Scholarship Committee spent the Fall of 2008 sifting through demographic information and discovered that less than 3% of last year's qualified applicants came from a Seattle-area high school. To combat this this surprising statistic, the Scholarship Committee decided to take action. Working in cooperation with the Pride Foundation, GSBA began scheduling outreach presentations for the Gay-Straight Alliances. The goal is to meet with as many of Seattle's 12 high schools as possible before the January 23rd application deadline.

In early December, Board Members Martha Davis and Michael Staeb made their first presentation at Chief Sealth High School. The 12-15 students there were extremely receptive and interested in the scholarship programs offered by Pride and GSBA. Eagerly asking questions they consumed all of the paper applications brought by GSBA's representatives.

Just this week, Davis and Staeb visited their second GSA at Garfield High School. A larger group of 20-25 students met them. Again the representatives of GSBA were greeted by ethusiastic students who should make excellent applicants.

2 down and 10 to go!

WANT TO HELP US OUT?
If you have a contact at a Seattle-area high school, such as a GSA faculty advisor, counselor, or similar member of the school's administration, please contact the GSBA Program Director, April Thanos at 206-363-9188 or via email office@thegsba.org.

Happy Holidays from GSBA

Dear GSBA Scholars,

From the staff and Board of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), we wish you a safe and happy holiday season. As we prepare for the New Year, we want to wish you the very best for 2009. We look forward to partnering with you to continue our work for your equality and economic success in the coming year.

For many, we have been each other's colleagues, associates, vendors, donors, friends and family for more than 28 years and for others, our relationship is newer and growing. But, whether you are a founding member, a member of five years or a brand new member, we thank you for all you do to work for equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. We are proud of our GSBA family and how well we support each other and our community.

Here is to equality and success in 2009!

BREAKING NEWS: UW Braces for Student Rally Against Homophobic Article

Thank you to GSBA Scholarship recipient Kyle Rapinan for bringing this to our attention.

University of Washington Braces for Student Rally Against Homophobic Article

Seattle, Washington, December 2nd, 2008 — University of Washington braces for student rally against homophobic article on Friday the 5th at 12:30 PM on the west side of the Husky Union Building (HUB).The University of Washington student ran newspaper, The Daily, printed a homophobic image and opinion piece last week to a circulation of more then 40,000 students and alumni. This has caused a huge uproar of letters to the editor which The Daily published last Monday. Now a student group on campus calling themselves "Students for a Hate Free Daily" is hosting a rally to support a safer and more inclusive UW community for all minorities, including the gay community.

"We have over 800 students and alumni as registered members of our organization. We are hoping to make it clear that this homophobia and hate for minorities is not welcome by the UW community" explained Kyle Rapinan, freshmen at the UW, and creator of the student group.

The community rally for a more inclusive UW is going to be held on the 5th of December at the University of Washington's Husky Union Building (HUB) from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. Members of the community are strongly encouraged to attend.

The homophobic article and image can be found on The Daily's website at: http://dailyuw.com/2008/11/25/gay-marriage-lets-stop-and-think-about/

GSBA Scholarship Volunteers Wanted

The 2008 GSBA Scholarship applications have been sent out and now it is time for us to start putting together our scholarship selection teams. If you have wanted to learn more about our scholarship program, or have always wanted to become more involved with the program, we encourage you to become part of this amazing process.

Volunteers will need to be available for training sessions, team meetings, and the day-long final interview process. Although there is a significant time commitment involved, the personal rewards of being part of this team are incredible.

If you are interested in becoming part of this year’s scholarship team, please contact Kirsten Weiss or Mary Ann Bailey for more information or a application packet.

The deadline for volunteer applications is FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH. So sign up today!

Thanks, and we look forward to working with you.

Kirsten Weiss – Scholarship Committee Chair
kirwei@safeco.com
206-925-1864 or 206-473-5931

Mary Ann Bailey – Scholarship Manager
maryann@thegsba.org
206-760-0478

2008 GSBA Scholarship Applications Now Available

The 2008 GSBA and Pride Scholarship applications are now available on our newly updated GSBA Scholarship web site. Applications are due on Friday, January 25, 2008. There will be workshops held in the Seattle area for anyone who wants help in filling out the application. The first workshop will be at Antioch University on November 1st at 6:30pm. The times and dates of other workshops will be posted as soon as they are scheduled. For more information about the application process call Mary Ann Bailey at 206-760-0478.

News Update from GLSEN Washington State

Our Washington State GSA, (Gay/Straight Alliance), Network in one of the largest in the nation with nearly 300 GSA members across the state. Through on-going support, regional summits and annual events, we nurture these life-saving student clubs. Research shows that LGBT students do better when they attend a school with a GSA.

A new research brief from GLSEN National, released today, found…

** Students in schools with GSAs are less likely to hear homophobic remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" in school on a daily basis than students without a GSA (57% compared to 75%).

** LGBT students in schools with GSAs are less likely to miss school because they feel unsafe compared to other students: a quarter (26%) of students in schools with GSAs missed school in the past month because they felt unsafe compared to a third (32%) of students at schools without GSAs.

** Students in schools with a GSA are more likely to report that school faculty, staff and administrators are supportive of lesbian, gay and bisexual students (52% compared to 32%).

We also launched our Transgender Youth Awareness Program, which seeks to increase the delivery of culturally competent service to transgender youth and reduce the incidence of bullying, harassment and discrimination they may experience. Check out our new website for additional details. http://transgenderyouth.org./.

GLSEN Washington State: http://glsenwa.org/.

Kristen Ericson Reports in From Kenya

Hi everyone! I have been in Kenya this summer doing HIV education and teaching English in primary schools in a village on Lake Victoria. I also was working in a daycare for orphans and partial orphans whose parents have died of AIDS. It has been an amazing experience, and I can hardly believe the summer is already over. I get home in a few days and I will write more about my experience once I get settled. Thanks, and I will be in touch.
Kristen Ericson
2007 GSBA Scholar