Gay and lesbian financial aid opportunities growing
Makoto Yamagishi
Issue date: 3/28/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
A new scholarship for Western Illinois University students follows this trend and Western students are encouraged to take advantage.
Martin Dupuis, political science professor, established a new scholarship for gays, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at Western.
The scholarship was established this year when the Mukti Fund, a small foundation that Dupuis helped start, chose to recognize its trustees with a scholarship for an institution of their choice. The foundation wanted to memorialize Dupuis' 25 years of volunteer service with the foundation. Dupuis has been a trustee for 25 years and chose Western because it has helped him flourish as a person and a professional.
"This is a way to give back to the university which has given me so much ... both professionally and personally," Dupuis said.
Katie Watt, junior special education major, applied for the award and is glad that Western finally has an award for the lesbian and gay community on campus.
"Historically the scholarship is great because there are so few scholarships for (the) lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," Watt said.
Dupuis looked at what groups he wanted to help and decided on helping the GLBT community because it has not had as much access to educational scholarships in the past and has been discriminated. He also has an award scholarship named after him for minorities.
"They have faced discrimination in the past because of their sexual orientation, and this award is an opportunity to give to those who haven't been treated as fairly in society, or have not had as much access to educational opportunities in the past," Dupuis said.
As a student, Watt said she understands that discrimination.
"It's different to get a scholarship if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," Watt said.
For Dupuis the gay and lesbian community is something that is important to him.
"My work with the University Committee on Sexual Orientation with the Affirmative Action Office got me inspired to help out gay and lesbian students, it was important for me to give back to Western as well as the gay and lesbian community. That was very rewarding," Dupuis said.
Be the first to comment on this story