The format of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Alliance's Straight Talks have always been designed to educate undergraduate students. But with their success has come the need to reach more people.

Straight Talks are discussions to help educate undergraduate students about gay, lesbian and bisexual people. LGBSA has sponsored the talks, which have taken place during many university classes, several times throughout each semester since 1984.

At a Straight Talk workshop last night, Gus Scheerbaum, LGBSA's social/educational co-director, said the group is changing the talks' format to reach a bigger audience.

Scheerbaum said the group wants to enlist graduate students, faculty and staff in addition to LGBSA's undergraduate students to do Straight Talks.

Other ideas include a new kind of icebreaker and suggestions panelists can use to improve the effectiveness of the talks, he said.

Mary McLanahan (graduate-counseling psychology) said effectiveness depends on three things -- familiarity with the material, a panelist's voice quality and the pace of the discussion.

Since last fall, members have examined problems they had with Straight Talks and contemplated ways to fix them, Scheerbaum said. They have also been gathering feedback from people who have heard the talks to determine other ways to improve the discussions.

The four goals that have been devised by LGBSA's educational committee for Straight Talks are: to educate people by sharing personal experiences, to dispel common stereotypes, to provide a comfortable atmosphere for closeted people to learn more about gay, lesbian and bisexual lives, and to provide publicity for the organizations they represent.

In the past, LGBSA has been asked to give Straight Talks at Commonwealth Campuses and to local groups, Scheerbaum said. By including more people, Straight Talks can reach out to a bigger audience, he added.