The Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity is looking to fill membership positions that will open at the end of the year. Students, faculty and staff can apply for membership through next Friday.

"We're soliciting nominations; self-nominations are acceptable," commission co-chair Dan Treviño said.

He said the commission's goal is to foster "a gay-friendly community."

Ongoing projects include securing benefits for same-sex domestic partners of Penn State employees as well as a potential academic minor in lesbian and gay studies. "There's a task force that's putting this together ... to get it presented to the Penn State Faculty Senate for evaluation and approval as a minor at Penn State," Treviño said.

The commission also funds projects for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, such as National Coming Out Day. "We're concerned with improving the environment for the LGBT community," Treviño said.

The commission, which reports annually to Penn State President Graham Spanier, currently has 34 voting members, said Victoria Sanchez, Office of Educational Equity senior diversity planning analyst. "They really try to achieve a balance in their membership," Sanchez said. She said faculty and staff serve with undergraduate and graduate students on the commission, and membership is open across all Penn State campuses.

Treviño said members serve three-year terms, which means about a third of the seats will be open at the end of this year.

Elias Grim (senior-management science and information systems) will finish his third year on the commission this year.

He said there have been a number of accomplishments that have come as a result of the commission's recommendations to the university.

"The [LGBTA Student] Resource Center is probably the biggest thing from a student perspective," Grim said.

He said the commission has an advantage over student groups because it can work on long-term projects with the help of staff and faculty, who stay at the university longer than students and can see projects through to completion.

Grim said some people might be surprised at how well student input is received by staff and faculty on the commission. He said members "should be aware of what's going on on campus ... and be willing to input to the rest of the commission their thoughts on things."

Treviño said the commission submits an annual report to the president, and Spanier attends the commission's meetings once each year. "When he's at the meeting, you can actually see he's there and listening," Grim said.

He also said he has found the administration to be receptive to the commission's recommendations.

Treviño said there are no membership requirements -- including that the member be gay or straight -- except that members attend monthly meetings and serve on sub-committees dealing with specific LGBT issues.

Treviño said the commission tries to reach out to other campuses as much as possible by inviting members from other campuses to attend meetings at University Park or to join by telephone conference.