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The Reporter clipping with summary of the board of trustees report

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  • The January 1986 issue of The Reporter includes a summary of the report to the board of trustees from Glenn Stillion, Vice-Chancellor for Student Development. One of the items he reported on is Lavender Bridges' petition for university recognition. Lavender Bridges, an anonymously founded student organization open to all individuals, aimed to promote awareness of lesbian and gay lifestyle, provide lesbian and gay resources, and increase communication with all students and community members. The first organizational meeting took place October 10, 1985 and was officially recognized by the office of Student Development on December 13, 1985. The last mention of the group appeared in the October 10, 1991 issue of the Western Carolinian.
  • Dr. Stilhon also told the board a small student support group for Gay men, called "Lavender Bridges," has petitioned for university recognition. Recognition would not carry endorsement of the group's purposes nnr nrnvirlp finding tVrtm the Tiv*r*ity tyr student fees. He said similar organizations exist at five other UNC campuses. Trustee Richard wood, Jr., an Asheville attorney, asked if state law does not make homosexual practices a criminal offense, but Rkrhard Kuvharvki, university legal counsel, said the constitutional right of freedom of association and assembly has been held to establish the right of homosexuals to form organizations. No action has yet been taken on the group's request.