College is a time where many people find themselves, and students at Winona State University are no exception to this. During the exploration and freedom of expression that college provides students, many come to terms with the fact that they are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
According to Tyler Treptow-Bowman the current Director of Grants and Sponsored Projects and former Equity and Inclusive Excellence worker, LGBTQ+ people are the second largest marginalized community on campus, comprising around 13 to 15 percent of students identifying as LGBTQ+ in some way. This group of students is second in size only to women on campus.
While there have been several statements released that confirm that Winona State does not intend to back down from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive (Equity and Inclusive Excellence/EIE) policies and initiatives that are on campus, it has been decided to cut a position in the Department of Equity and Inclusive Excellence that primarily provides support to LGBTQ+ students among a plethora of other marginalized student populations that attend Winona State.
Despite trying to prove to students its commitment to EIE efforts amidst government attacks, this action will affect all students and staff, but it will also disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ students at Winona State.
Treptow-Bowman, formerly occupied this position in the EIE office, has seen the effort the position has made to help students on campus beyond just LGBTQ+ students. However, with the federal government’s attacks on DEI programs it is shocking to hear of these cuts to EIE programs at Winona State.
“…it’s kind of shocking that this is what they’re choosing to cut,” Treptow-Bowman said. “I’ve said it to colleagues ever since it kind of came out, why do we have to be concerned about the federal government attacking higher education and DEI efforts when we’re attacking ourselves from within?”
The termination of this position also means the termination of programs that were put on by it to help the Winona State community. This includes training and workshops that would help create a safer community for marginalized groups on campus. Due to this position being vacant since December of 2023, there have been people stepped up to fill that void and provide these training and workshops. These people who have been called upon to fill the gaps due to this position being vacant are often from marginalized groups themselves.
Professor Mary Jo Klinker, the head of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Department at Winona State, was one of those people who was to provide the training that was supposed to happen during this position’s vacancy.
“Those of us who are marginalized, faculty and staff, do more work than anyone because the expectation is that we do identity-based labor and additional mentoring for marginalized students (by sexuality, gender, race, ability), which we love to do for our communities, that’s not a criticism, but it also is an unfair labor expectation that, you know, people with more privilege don’t necessarily [experience].” Klinker said.
Upon finding out that this position that worked to help support marginalized students on campus, namely LGBTQ+ students and provide trainings and workshops has been terminated, the training that was planned for the end of this semester has been canceled as an act of protest.
This protest happened because it was one thing to provide support for these marginalized students while the positions was waiting to be filled, but having the position cut due to funding sends a message that to LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty, and the greater Winona community that they aren’t worthy of a position that helps them specifically, but rather worthy of more intermittent efforts.
“Why would we present that as something that can happen when that’s not what should be happening?” Treptow-Bowman said. “I think we all agreed that we did not want to be a band aid to much larger issues that they’re creating for themselves… We are not doing this [safe space trainings] in protest of the decision.”
Another issue that has come out of the termination of this position was how faculty at Winona State found out about it. Often, when positions are put up for proposed cuts it will be discussed, however that was not the case with this position in the EIE.
“The value of a shared governance model is that you’re supposed to announce what you’re thinking, then there is time for feedback about it… then that information should be used to make the final decision,” Treptow-Bowman said. “But clearly that didn’t happen in this. When I very clearly asked about the [position], the response was that position was cut. Not “proposed to be cut,” that position did get cut.”
This position in the EIE office provided more than just safe space training and workshops, but it was also devoted to strategic outreach to marginalized students. It was largely geared toward LGBTQ+ people and helped provide options to students who wouldn’t be able to go home after coming out or aren’t able to fill out FAFSA because their parents aren’t willing to give them tax information anymore. These are just some of the things that this position was meant to do and the information they provided.
“I think there is, perhaps, a misunderstanding of what the position actually works to do. So it wasn’t just that the position provided anywhere from three to ten to twenty safe space trainings every semester or every year, it was that the position was deeply invested in strategic outreaches,” Treptow-Bowman said.
For students, this has many implications beyond just the cutting of a position that was meant to help support one of the largest marginalized populations on campus. PRISM is a club on campus dedicated to providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to get together and hang out. Beyond that they are dedicated to teaching queer history and talking about different people who have impacted queer history.
Matthew Burrows, a first-year student at Winona State majoring in molecular biology, is a part of PRISM’s leadership and has found the cutting of this position to be hard on students who are LGBTQ+ in college.
“[I was] upset to say the least. I feel like it’s a big kind of punch in the gut towards LGBTQ students because already there’s, like, a lot of, not fear, but worry around being LGBTQ in a new environment, especially for freshman,” Burrows said. “Most people come out in college because they feel comfortable and not having that support just in case their mental health takes a toll, or they’re not supported.”
There are also new students coming to Winona State to be taken into consideration. First-year students who started in 2024 have never experienced having this position filled. However, incoming first-year students will never have the opportunity to see it filled (and the positives that come with having this position filled) due to its termination.
Jade Meuleners, a first-year social work major who is also a leader in PRISM, has noted how the termination of this position has affected them and will possibly affect incoming classes via an anecdote from an interaction PRISM had while tabling for an event.
“When we had sophomore and junior day, we had a parent ask, ‘so, would you say Winona State is safe for LGBTQ students?’ and the fact that I couldn’t say for a definite way that yes, Winona State is safe for LGBTQ students and they will be supported fully by all the staff, all the administrators really just speaks to how things are going right now,” Meuleners said. “I want to be able to tell students to come here, Yes, you won’t only have the community and students, you will have staff to back you up. Admin supports you. Admin wants you here.”
In a time where DEI positions are being threatened by the federal government left and right, it is hard for LGBTQ+ people to feel supported. Having a position meant to help LGBTQ+ students go from vacant to terminated sends a heart-pounding message to students and can make them fear what will come next.
The termination of this position and the termination of the contract with the Advocacy Center of Winona (ACW) that provided a confidential advocate for assault survivors on campus sends a clear message to marginalized populations at Winona State. LGBTQ+ people are often survivors of sexual assault themselves, and Winona State is a campus that is largely populated by women. There are many students with intersecting identities that will be greatly affected not just by the loss of this LGBTQ+ support position, but also by the cut of the ACW’s contract.
Terminating positions that help marginalized groups on campus in favor of budgets cuts sends a message, but is it the right one?
