ARGONAUT U N I V E R S I T Y O F I DA H O
THE Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sports
Idaho coach Robb Akey was pleased with the results of the Silver and Gold scrimmage, page 5
GROWING UP GAY
Opinion
More national debt? It might be the best way to recover, page 9
Silence answer is not the
Acceptance is more than just coming out
Tanya Eddins Argonaut
Four people stood in the Idaho Commons lunchroom and wore gags tied around their mouths with the word “HATE” scrawled across them. The Day of Silence is a national event that members of the LGBTQA club held on campus April 15. One member of the club stook at commons podium and said, “For those silenced by violence and hate, we are here for you.” Alex Barnes, a sociology major, said growing up in Kooskia, Idaho, a rural town with a population of about 600, kept him in the closet throughout high school. He said his experience with coming out in college and acclimating to adult life has inspired him to become a social worker and help minorities, people of low-income and others in need. Barnes said he has not experienced hate on UI’s campus but when he visits home someone may drive by, flip him off and call him a fag. He said these actions may have silenced him when he was in high school, but today he would probably confront the person and ask them why people are acting like this. “(I would) let people know because it is important, and if you don’t talk about it, it’s easy to be swept under the rug, and that shouldn’t be happening,” Barnes said. He said he experienced depression in high school because of many factors, but being gay was a big part of it. He said to help himself deal with those who didn’t un-
derstand his sexuality he just externalized it and decided it was not his problem. “But I know a lot of people that it does really pound in, you know, because they are attacking a piece of you … a private piece of you, and it’s really intense,” Barnes said. “I think I got a lot more resilient from it. I was one of those people that took it in, whatever it was, but I shrugged it off at the same time.” Barnes said another struggle he had in high school was when his mother would pressure him by constantly asking if he was gay. “And I was like, ‘I am not coming out now because I see how you’re reacting about it,’” Barnes said. “And now, I don’t know, because she is like, ‘Yeah, I knew and I am totally fine about it.’ And I’m like, ‘You couldn’t be more understanding when I was in high school? Thanks. You just made my life a living hell.’” After his experience, he moved in with a group of friends he said he now considers his family. Joe Black had an experience quite different from Barnes. Black, a senior public relations major, said his parents did have a hard time accepting his sexuality at first and it was difficult because when he came out, it was the first time he ever saw his father cry. He said he asked him later if it was because of religion and his father told him it wasn’t because he believes God loves everyone.
see SILENCE, page 4
Amrah Canual | Argonaut
On April 15, LGBTQA students gathered in the Idaho Commons to celebrate the national Day of Silence, an event that brings attention to LGBT people who have been silenced because of violence or hate.
Getting things done
TRADITIONAL DANCE
Perez and Corona get a head start on 2011 - 2012 ASUI positions Molly Spencer Argonaut
As the spring semester ends and fall rolls around the corner, Samantha Perez and Juan Corona, 2011-2012 ASUI president and vice president, have started to work on their three-tiered platforms. “Our third goal was to improve ASUI as an organization and so one of the ways we wanted to do that was hire sooner,” Perez said. ASUI typically hires the executive branch in the fall but applications have already been turned in are now being reviewed, Perez
said. Interviews for the executive positions will be April 27. “I think that will be huge for us because we have a lot of new people that will have a better transition and better idea of what they’re doing,” Perez said. “That was kind of a huge change we made, and so I’m very excited about that.” In addition, Perez and Corona will be working on training executives during the summer. “For Senate it will be pretty much the same, but for executives we’ll have training as well, so we’ll have combined ASUI training together and just talk about the office,
procedure, outlook …” Perez said. “We’ll do some training that’s specific to Senate and specific to executives.” Perez said they hope to build ASUI up internally in order to serve the students better externally. “Our second goal is transparency with the students and the university,” Corona said. “So something that Sam and I started working on is trying to see what’s going on at the university, and then do focus groups where students are invited to know what’s going on with fees or with anything that’s
see DONE, page 4
Delta Gamma celebrates 100 years at UI Argonaut
Delta Gamma sisters from 26 different states will come together in Moscow April 29 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sorority. Patty Stratton, co-chairman from the 1968 pledge class, said it is a tribute to Greek Life and to the University of Idaho to have so many women who want to return to campus and share with each other the fond memories of their days in the Delta Gamma house. Ali Johnson, centennial re-
News, 1 Sports, 5
union committee collegiate chairman, said Delta Gamma was founded nationally in 1873 in Oxford, Miss, at the Lewis School for Girls. Delta Gamma was installed at the UI campus Sept.16, 1911, Johnson said. “The centennial is a celebration of the past 100 years of Delta Gamma at the University of Idaho and the beginning of what we hope will be another 100 years of Delta Gamma on campus,” Stratton said. Stratton said Delta Gamma was the first sorority on the UI
campus to have its own chapter house. The Delta Gamma sisters moved into their current house in 1920. Katherine Aiken, dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences, was part of Delta Gamma’s 1970 pledge class. “I think one of the reasons people appreciate being Greek is always having someone to celebrate a success, and someone to commiserate with when there isn’t a success,” she said. Aiken said it has been more than 40 years since she has lived
The Vandal Voice for 112 Years uiargonaut.com
Opinion, 9 flickr.com/photos/uiargonaut
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in-house, but she still sees sisters on a regular basis. Aiken said Stratton — who has taken on this event with the alumni office — and other members have worked hard and deserve acknowledgement. “Three of us helped plan the 75th reunion, which was in 1986, and it’s been interesting planning this reunion because back then, only 25 years ago, we had to write letters back and forth or make arrangements for long-distance phone calls,” Stratton said.
see DELTA, page 4
Katherine Brown | Argonaut
A Native American dances in a circle around a collection of flags for the 12th Annual Tutxinmepu Pow Wow Sunday afternoon, April 24. The University of Idaho Native American Student Association hosted the event to support the local Native American community.
Ph toBureau
the
Molly Spencer
is hiring photographers for next year
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