5 awarded for making IU ‘friendlier’

Senior Matthew Brunner refers to himself as the “permanent gay-rights activist on campus.”\nHe has spent the past four years of his undergraduate career educating others about gay rights, and recently he was recognized for his achievements.\nThe Commission on Multicultural Understanding each year awards people who have made campus friendlier. Brunner is one of five people who received recognition of their work to create a more diversified and welcoming campus. A program award was also given to a campus group that has made a difference in promoting equality. Awards were issued Monday at the Helen G. Simon Hillel Center.\nCarolyn Wiethoff, a Kelley School of Business professor, accepted the faculty award.\nShe said she was recognized for her research since receiving her doctorate for her studies on how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals are treated in the workplace.\nDuring this time, she took the initiative to help students “understand what it’s like to not be in the mainstream and to be sensitive to GLBT individuals,” Wiethoff said.\nShe has been involved with Indiana Equality, an organization that worked to stop Indiana’s proposed anti-gay-marriage amendment from passing and to get rights for GLBT community members.\n“In Indiana it is legal for you to fire or to deny housing to someone because you think they’re gay,” Wiethoff said.\nThere are laws at IU that protect against discrimination, but there needs to be state and federal laws, Wiethoff said.\nTwo students were recognized at Monday night’s award ceremony.\nGraduate student Rebecca Riall said she received the graduate-student award because of her work in helping to found the Native American Graduate Student Association and the First Nations Educational and Cultural Center, which opened last week. \nBrunner, who received the Undergraduate Student Award for his work on gay-rights activism over the last four years, said that during this time he spoke on panels educating people about gay-rights issues including adoption and same-sex marriage. Brunner said he is putting a panel together on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy within the military.\nHe said he founded the Hoosier Rights Campaign two years ago. This IU campaign focuses solely on gay rights including hate-crime legislation, same-sex marriage and adoption.\n“I have been able to spark dialogue and open people’s eyes surrounding gay-rights issues,” Brunner said.\nJanice Wiggins received the staff award, and Sue Acquila accepted the community member award. The program award was given to the Men of Color Leadership Conference.\nBill Shipton, deputy chair for Commission on Multicultural Understanding, said the group of faculty, staff and students was created to provide diversity on campus. In 1982, COMU began as the Committee for Racial Understanding. Its members decided to expand and provide for religion, sexual orientation and gender diversity, he said.\nShipton said COMU has been issuing individual awards most years since 1987. The program award has been given for the past eight years.\nTo receive an award, a person or group must be nominated and assessed by COMU’s selection committee, he said.\n“People appreciate being recognized for what they do,” Shipton said.