Interviews for the Be True, Be You Prize

Interviews for the be you, be true prize

and writing from the LGBTQIA+ Community

Danielle Slauzis is the Title IX coordinator at Norwich University. She is responsible for university programs around responding, preventing, and remedying sexual harassment. On a policy and programmatic level, her goal is to prevent discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. She is also the co-advisor with Crystal Drown of the NU Alliance and a partner of the Be You, Be True Award. One of our editors, Surayah Pierce, interviewed Danielle. Surayah conducted the interview because she is the visionary behind the Be You, Be True Literary Prize and is a member of the NU Alliance.

Surayah Pierce: What attracted you to become Norwich University’s Title IX coordinator?

Danielle Slauzis: When you think about people’s access to education, experiencing sexual or gender-based misconduct can negatively impact their ability to access their education. A lot of my experience prior to this role as coordinator has shown me the importance of policy and procedure to ensure that a community has access to resources and remedies. I think policies have a huge impact on how they shape our communities. So, if we want to be working to address sexual violence, which is a huge problem on campuses across the country, working with policy and thinking about it systemically can be a great way to start engaging with that work.

SP: What made you want to get involved with the Be You, Be True Prize?

DS: For me, raising other people’s voices and giving them space to share their experiences stems back to doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work. One of my favorite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gives a great TED Talk on the danger of a single story. When we only know one story for an entire community, we are going to think that story is true for every individual in that community, and that’s where a lot of implicit biases, assumptions, and further harmful acts can come from. The Be You, Be True award was one way to create more stories and make sure that we were giving the Norwich community a number of stories concerning the LGBTQIA+ community.

SP: Besides the Be You, Be True prize, what other ways can we make a more inclusive community at Norwich?

DS: On an individual level, I think self-education. When you get the chance to hear someone else’s story, you can learn about a different community or person, which adds to the complexity of the world around you. On a policy level, I’m working on drafting transgender and nonbinary cadets in the Corps policy that will show how we not only accept but help our transgender and nonbinary cadets succeed. Advocating for the policies you want to see is a great way to support the Norwich community.

SP: What are your thoughts and vision for the LGBTQIA+ community at Norwich University both as the Title IX coordinator and a co-advisor for NU Alliance?

DS: As the Title IX coordinator, my view for LGBTQIA+ students on campuses is that they should thrive and feel welcome. We want to strive to create a space where there is no discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. We want to create programs that result in not just tolerance but inclusion of people in the LGBTQIA+ community. And I would love to get more awareness out about recent court cases that have said Title IX affirmatively protects people on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

When I think about my vision for the NU Alliance, the most important thing is to let students lead and let their voices be heard. I am here to support them as an institutional actor to create an environment free from discrimination.

SP: What was your initial reaction when we asked you to support the Chameleon Literary Journal’s Be You, Be True Award?

DS: I was excited because it helps raise voices. Also, it’s important to not just verbally commit since that can ring hollow after a while. The Title IX office wanted to put university funds into this as well.

SP: Are there any other events that you would like to take place on campus to raise LGBTQIA+ awareness on campus?

DS: This comes back to the conversation we had about what NU Alliance students want. Some students want pride events. Some students would like awareness-raising events with a speaker. I would love to see more events around healthy sexual practices since being informed is a huge piece of having healthy consensual sexual interactions. I’d love to see more events that connect people with other local movements like Pride VT since I’m a huge proponent of connecting people with resources that help.

SP: Do you write as well?

DS: I do, but not so much creative writing. I was a writing tutor as an undergrad, and that was formative for me; the motto of our writing center was, “every writer needs a reader.” Writing is a fantastic way to connect with yourself; it’s a fantastic way to communicate with others. I also think words are so impactful on our world, like our Title IX processes. From intake notes to the investigative report to the letter of decision, we need to have clear writing skills that communicate why we are making a decision. These are difficult processes, and everyone involved is owed the fullest and clearest communication. I think there’s something so personal about writing. I journal at home, but it’s also something that matters when I write an email or a text or offer someone resources.

Crystal Drown is the assistant director of Student Activities. She is from Northfield, Vermont, and is a 2019 Norwich graduate. She is the co-advisor of the NU Alliance, which is Norwich University’s official club for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus. Surayah Pierce, interviewed Crystal. Surayah conducted the interview because she is the visionary behind the Be You, Be True Literary Prize and is a member of the NU Alliance.

Surayah Pierce: As the advisor for the NU Alliance club, what made you interested in leading the club?

Crystal Drown: The easiest answer is that I am a big ally for many advocacy groups around the Central Vermont area and also just in my own personal lifestyle. As a nontraditional student at Norwich, I knew the need for an LGBTQIA+ community on campus. I wanted to see an active group of students who could help spread awareness and have a safe space to hang out on campus. By having a certified club, it shows that Norwich is evolving with the times.

SP: When you were a student here was there an active NU Alliance club?

CD: I’ve been at Norwich for about ten years, and during that time there was not an open, public facing, and active LGBTQIA+ club. My involvement with NU Alliance started with Matt Roche, the former Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, when he brought me in to be a Safe Zone trainer for the NU Alliance and then; from there, I partnered with Danielle Slauzis to be a co-advisor.

SP: What is your vision for the future for NU Alliance?

CD: One of my visions for the future is for the club to be active on campus and host an event on campus that is open to the greater student audience. That could be doing an interactive Rocky Horror Picture Show or a drag show that talks about gender identity and sex topics with students in a fun way versus a panel discussion. Designing a custom challenge coin would be something I would love to see the NU Alliance do. NU Alliance members can hand out the coins to fellow students and professors for being an upstander for an LGBTQIA+ person. This also gives the opportunity to educate or inform the students of Norwich.

SP: How do you think that we could make Norwich University a more inclusive and safer community for our LGBTQIA+ community?

CD: Part of my role is doing Safe Zone training, which we did for the first time with the entire civilian freshman population this year. We were able to get 49% of the campus first year population educated on respect. I would love to see Safe Zone training move over into the Corps of Cadets. To go along with that, there are a lot of ways to do activities that promote education and awareness. An example would be we could host a mini pride parade on campus, or maybe there’s someone currently in the NU Alliance who wants to make a rainbow flag snow sculpture for the Winter Carnival. I have so many ideas, and the sky is the limit so long as we adhere to Norwich University’s policies and procedures to put on sanctioned events. I think hosting a drag show would be great. Just because you’re a drag queen doesn’t mean you’re gay, and I would love that stereotype and stigma to be removed. I would love to know that everyone feels safe because college is the time for people to experiment with their lives. I think we want people to not be closeted on all parts of our campus and in our online population, too. Not just the military portion of campus.

SP: I know you’ve participated in the International Women’s Day event, and you are a writer, how did writing play a big role in who you are today?

CD: I grew up locally and my personal educational experience was horrible. I’m dyslexic, and I was one of those individuals who was passed along rather than taught creative writing. I used to always love to write poetry because it’s an easy escape; the best part about writing poetry is that you don’t have to worry about comma splices, fragments, grammar, and punctuation because it’s freestanding. I did not go to college right away because I let my dyslexia hold me back. But once I did, it was Professor Prentiss that made me love writing again. Professor Prentiss made me find joy in writing and pushed me to show that I am a talented writer. Since graduating, I’ve been published quite a few times.

SP: Do you have any pieces pertaining to the LGBTQIA+ experience?

CD: I have some hidden places that I’ve been working on for this year’s International Women’s Day that explore some of my personal experiences with the LGBTQIA+ community as an openly gay woman. I remember your piece last year (Surayah), “Dear Queer Girl,” which was the first piece of gay creative writing ever read at International Women’s Day that dealt with being a member of the LGBTQIA+ in the history of Norwich University’s Voices for International Women’s Day. I was like, “Here’s a strong, bold individual person who is expressing themselves openly”, and I wish I was able to do that years ago with myself. So, you helped inspire me personally.