Saint Mary ' s alumnae share service experience in Ghana

The U niversity S tan d in g Committee on Gay and Lesbian Student Needs will soon become the Core Council lor Gay and Lesbian Students — a restru c­ tured group with increased stu­ dent membership to better meet campus needs, University officials said Friday. “It’s exciting — I think it’s a step forward in terms of service to our gay, lesbian and bisexual s tuden ts and m aking su re we create a welcoming environment at Notre Dame, and all within the param eters of Catholic teaching, ” Vice President for Student Affairs Father Mark Poorman told The Observer Friday. The Standing Committee serves as an advisory board that helps P oorm an and th e Office of Student Affairs identify the needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual stu­ dents as well as coordinate pro­ gramming, and Poorman said the Core Council will continue to ful­ fill this role. What’s really changing, he said, is the group’s composition. The Core Council will have 12 members total, eight of them stu dents — the m ajority of whom are gay or lesbian, Poorman said. There will also be four adminis­ t r a to r s re p re s e n tin g the Counseling Center, the Gender R ela tions C enter, C am pus Ministry and the Office of Student Affairs. A student and a representative from the Office of Student Affairs — possibly Sister Susan Dunn, who was recently appointed to A ss is tan t Vice P re s id e n t of Student Affairs — will serve as the Core C ouncil’s co -ch a irs , Poorman said. The eight students and student co-chair position mark a signifi­ cant increase from the Standing Committee’s current six student m em b ers , sa id S is te r M ary Louise G ude, A ss is ta n t Vice President of Student Affairs and c u rre n t ch a ir o f the S tanding Committee. Gude has served as chair since fall 1998 and believes the expan­ sion of the Standing Committee in to th e Core C ouncil — an expansion that includes regularly