President Martin Jischke
Iowa State University
117 Beardshear Hall
Ames, Iowa 50011
 
President Jischke,
 
My name is Brandon Lacy, and I am co-President of the National Queer
Student Coalition. I am writing to you on behalf of NQSC, Allan Pina
Nosworthy, ISU GLBTA Alliance, and our members at over 150 colleges and
universities in the United States.
 
Mr. President it is grievous time when an institution of higher learning
so fails its students that they are forced to disrupt their lives and
their academic pursuits in order to secure basic rights and privileges
that will foster a healthier educational environment that is conducive
to rigorous academic pursuits.  Allan Pina Nosworthy is now on the
seventh day of his hunger strike.  He is striking, as you know, so that
the rights of the non-majority students at ISU will cease to be
abrogated and abridged.  His demands that concern gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender students are not profound nor will they
provide an unnecessary burden to your university.  His demands are farfrom
being abnormal. To the contrary, his demands for services which
include adequate and affordable health care for GLBT staff, larger
office space for LGBTSS, improved training and orientation of staff with
concern to GLBT issues, and GLBT issues to be introduced into
orientation training are the norm in U.S. higher education.
 
The National Queer Student Coalition asks that you act in good faith and
fulfill the requests of your gay and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
students, staff, and faculty.  We at NQSC hope that it will not take the
death of Mr. Nosworthy to move you to the correct and proper actions
necessary to ensure equality for all students that attend Iowa State
University.
 
The National Queer Student Coalition will be doing all it can to aid the
ISU LGBTA Alliance and Mr. Nosworthy including releasing a press release
this afternoon regarding Iowa State University and its shameful
practices when asked to develop programs that will foster equality and a
stronger higher educational institution.
 

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