Editor’s note: Because Delfin Bautista does not identify with one gender, the non-gendered pronoun “they” is used.
In September, Indiana University started a scholarship campaign for LGBT students that have been financially abandoned by their families due to their sexual identity.
The campaign, which was praised by many news publications as the first of its kind, is soon to be one of at least two, said Delfin Bautista, director of Ohio University’s LGBT Center.
A retiring faculty member and her husband, whose names can’t be released, are trying to start an emergency fund that will help students pay for necessities such as rent, food and clothing, Bautista said.
“It’s in the works,” Bautista said. “Hopefully it will be something we have up and running, if not by the end of the semester, at the beginning of next (semester).”
In order to be considered eligible, students will meet with Bautista, who will assess their needs and specific situation, but also try to gauge the student’s financial stability in the future, whether it be through available work-study programs or a part-time job.
Students do not need to be active with the LGBT Center to be considered for the scholarship.
LGBT officials have worked with the Division of University Advancement to get the scholarship started.
Typically, the LGBT Center directs students to outside scholarship entities, such as those associated with the Point Foundation, which works to empower LGBTQ students, according to its website.
In addition to OU’s emergency fund, another donor, whose name Bautista also could not release, provided funding for a scholarship for LGBT students looking to study abroad or do internship programs.
“The paperwork is being finished as we speak,” Bautista said. “We’re looking to give our first scholarship in the spring.”
Unlike the emergency fund, this scholarship will not be primarily need-based. Students will have to go through an application process in order to receive funds.
These scholarships are the only two available specifically for Ohio University’s LGBT students, they said.
In general, OU’s financial aid office is one of “inclusivity,” said Valerie Miller, director of student financial aid and scholarships.
“At Ohio University, our academic scholarships are ones that don’t have any types of restrictions,” Miller said.
The FAFSA will also expand its services in 2014 for students with same-sex parents, she said.
“One of our strategies is to raise money to give scholarships,” said Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones. “I think it’s great to be able to provide those scholarships, both need and merit-based for students.”
db794812@ohio.edu
@Dinaivey
