Equality alliance awards
scholarship
Winner preaches for diversity
on Purdue's campus
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
Halimat Alabi advocates for more equality and acceptance
on Purdue's campus than most other students and the Purdue Equality
Alliance rewarded her for it this semester.
Alabi, a senior in the Schools of Engineering,
won the "Creating Change" scholarship from the alliance. She is the
first recipient of the award.
"The scholarship recognized the efforts of students
who contribute daily to make Purdue a more accepting community for gays,
lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders," said Alabi.
She said she was honored to be the first winner.
To win the scholarship Alabi had to write an essay
about her contributions towards creating a more accepting atmosphere
on Purdue's campus.
Alabi said Purdue is becoming a more accepting
place and organizations like the Purdue Equality Alliance really help
the campus atmosphere.
She said she is not different from most other women.
"At the end of the day I am every woman who sinks into her couch tired
but satisfied while her social identities battle it out on the front
porch," said Alabi. "I am an activist in my own little world and I plan
to help change the legacy we leave our children."
Since it was the scholarship's first year, there
were not a lot of applicants, but Bryan Szyper, cofounder of the Purdue
Equality Alliance, said he hopes participation will increase in the
future.
"The purpose of the Purdue Equality Alliance is
to advocate equality and create a more accepting atmosphere at Purdue,"
said Szyper. "We're trying to show the community that Purdue is an accepting
place to live in, and also that Purdue values people who contribute
to the diverse community."
Szyper said most of the changes that occur in society
happen in peoples' private lives. "That's where the real change happens,
in our everyday interaction. That's what we're trying to recognize —
what individuals do," he said.
For Szyper, this scholarship was the culmination
of a great semester. Within the last four months Purdue changed its
non-discrimination policy; brought Judy Shepard, the mother of a gay
man who was killed because of his homosexuality, to campus; brought
Floyd Cochran, a former Ku Klux Klan member, to campus; and had more
discussion of gay issues.
Szyper said Purdue and the greater Lafayette area
are ahead of other places in terms of acceptance. "People think about
Lafayette and they think it's some backwards town," said Szyper. "If
you look at the state of Indiana, (West Lafayette and Lafayette) have
non-discrimination policies, so does Purdue and soon Tippecanoe (County)
will too."
He said this outdoes Bloomington and actually puts
Lafayette at the forefront of diversity issues.
In the future, the "Creating Change" scholarship
will be awarded every semester. This year Alabi received $250, and future
winners will probably get the same amount. The money is donated from
area businesses and Alabi said that is a strong statement from the Lafayette
community that they're willing to support diversity.
Szyper said that as more people become aware of
the scholarship and it gets more support, the monetary reward may increase.
Applicants do not need to be gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgendered to apply. "We're not trying to say this is a gay or
a lesbian thing. That's not what (Purdue Equality Alliance) is about,"
said Szyper. "It's not a gay's only club. I think a lot of people get
that misconception. We're all about inclusivity, we practice it and
we preach it."
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