Don, a faculty member at the University, is having a birthday and he wants to go out and celebrate with a friend. The two decide to go to a bar and have a drink to mark the occasion. As they are about to enter the bar, Don notices his department head and a colleague sitting in a nearby restaurant and he is afraid they will see him entering the bar. He is worried about what they will think, but he decides to go in anyway. Don is gay, and although he made a conscious decision to exercise his freedom by going to a gay bar, he is painfully aware of the stigma attached to being seen entering "the only gay space in town."

Accounts like this and other problems experienced by the University's gay community are contained in a report compiled by the Committee for Gay and Lesbian Concerns that was released to the public yesterday.

Although the report does not contain information gleaned from a survey distributed as part of the committee's study, it still has the potential for improving the climate at the University for the gay community, said Bill Tierney, associate professor of higher education and committee chairman.

In the report, the committee outlined the problems faced by these groups and offered possible solutions. The group divided the problems into three categories including attitudinal problems, structural problems and problems of invisibility.

According to the report, attitudes towards gay men and lesbians are either negative or absent. These negative attitudes prevent gay people from feeling comfortable and secure in their environment.

"You feel the pain of oppression, of knowing, of having mirrored back to you everyday that you're different and that there are people who want to hurt you and deny you basic human rights," said "Jack," an assistant professor, in an interview accounted in the report.

Structurally, the University does not make the same provisions for gay couples as are made for heterosexual couples.

For example, the report states that a Dual Career Employment Assistance Program exists on campus for the purpose of finding jobs for the spouses of recruited University employees.

But this program is not applicable to gay couples because "the University does not recognize that individuals may be in committed relationships when they are not and legally cannot be married."

Problems of invisibility include situations such as when a gay faculty member is afraid to have lunch in a public place with a partner because he or she is afraid of being discovered.

According to the report, although people need to feel they are in a supportive environment to work to the best of their ability, gay men and lesbians learn to "hide to survive."

Estela Bensimon, assistant professor and research associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education and committee member, described the interviews as an eye-opener.

"I learned that the lives of homosexual men and women are marginalized. These people harbor a considerable fear of being found out. Fear renders this faculty invisible," Bensimon said.

Because of the homophobic atmosphere there isn't the possibility of community for gay faculty members, she added.

"They are living very measured and careful lives. People who don't live that way don't understand it or even know it," she said.

Several other problems were detailed in the report, including incidents of physical and verbal abuse.

The committee proposed possible solutions to these problems, including creating an office for lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns, creating a commission on lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns, and making sure the Affirmative Action Office continues to strengthen its efforts to document the harassment and discrimination underrepresented individuals face.

Also, the committee proposed that certain policies at the University need to be examined, including personnel policies, to ensure they do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

Other proposals include redesigning programs like the Dual Career Employment Assistance Program, making sure University publications reflect the concerns of the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, and alerting all University constituencies to Penn State's goal of diversity.

The group also proposed that senior administrators and faculty participate in lesbian and gay awareness workshops, the University recruit gay people to be residence assistants and counselors, and educational programming and services be made available for the gay community.

In response to a recommendation by the committee, a Commission on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns will be formed this week out of the vice provost's office and will function similarly like the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, said Vice Provost James Stewart, adding that Tierney will most likely head the commission.

A new position has already been created in Stewart's office to coordinate the initial recommendations of the committee. Rev. Anne Ard, formerly a campus pastor employed with United Ministries, is one of two senior analysts whose duties also include working closely with the Commission for Women.

Tierney said he believes the University will implement the committee's recommendations because of its commitment to diversity.

"The sexual orientation clause provides the lesbian and gay communities with a legal means for protection," Tierney said. "The clause has not made our lives better -- it has given us the hope that our lives can be made better. It is a potent symbol that Penn State supports diversity. Now we need to act on our words."