UP students establish a new movement in an attempt to make changes to the university’s non-discrimination policy and to create a more accepting environment.
A large group of students quickly took action following a remark made by University President Fr. Bill Beauchamp at UP’s annual Fireside Chat. Their goal? To redefine the term “Purple Pride.”
At the Fireside Chat, Beauchamp said, “We know that there are faculty and staff in same-sex relationships on campus. They are not public about it and we don’t ask them. But if someone were to go very public about it and make an issue, then we would have trouble.”
Students in reaction to this statement created a Facebook group called Redefine Purple Pride in an attempt to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community on and off campus, and to encourage changes in the university’s non-discrimination policy.
The current policy does not include sexual orientation, making many members and supporters of the LGBTQ community feel less a part of the UP community.
“This is about redefining a culture of acceptance here at the University of Portland,” Junior Olivia Alsept-Ellis said.
In a week, around 552 members joined the group and the numbers continue to rise.
“The policy on campus is very much ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ and it’s really easy for this to get swept under the rug,” Alsept-Ellis said. “I don’t know why there was such a fire started on Facebook but it was [Fr. Beauchamp’s] comment that made people realize that if we care about this now and we don’t do something, it’s going to be forgotten again for another year.”
Junior Patrick Throckmorton, along with Alsept-Ellis, interviewed students Friday afternoon to make a video showcasing student opinions regarding the Redefine Purple Pride movement.
“The idea behind the video is giving the students a voice, not just leaders representing a group, but to get a clear picture of each individual’s opinion,” Throckmorton said.
The two advocates want to collect opinions in support of the movement and opposing opinions.
“We are trying to collect dissenting opinions and ideally our goal is to collect what other people have to say,” Alsept-Ellis said. “It’s easy to forget that there is a large amount of Catholic conservatives who feel they are losing religious rights by including these non-discriminatory measures.”
Junior Casey Andersen also began a photography project, presenting students with their mouths taped shut in front of the flag for the Human Rights Campaign, immediately after Redefine Purple Pride was established.
“I came up with the idea to use some dramatic photos to elicit some emotion from whoever will read our plea,” Andersen said. “I saw this as an exciting opportunity to use my passion of photography for something more than just the enjoyment of a good shot.”
Andersen said the inspiration for placing tape on students was in response to the overall feeling he sensed on campus.
“I wanted to visually show the silencing that happens in this community every single day and I believe that people taping their mouths shut is a tangible way to explain how many on campus feel,” Andersen said.
Redefine Purple Pride’s next move includes planning a potential rally on campus.
“There’s been a lot of talk about a rally but we’re trying to make sure that’s the right direction before we make any plans,” Alsept-Ellis said.
Throckmorton agreed careful planning needs to take place before any decisions are made.
“I think the important part of all this is because we’re not a UP affiliated club and we’re some central force is to be planned and appropriate,” Throckmorton said. “We want to rub elbows, but not the wrong way to the point where we are seen in a negative light, so to step back and be smart about every move is what we’re working on right now.”