Janice Deeds, Rev. Don Hanway win chancellor's GLBT awards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman presented the annual Chancellor's Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community April 11. These awards recognize outstanding efforts of students, faculty and staff to create an inclusive, respectful, and safe climate for members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community at UNL.

The recipients of the faculty/staff award were Janice Deeds, assistant director of Student Involvement overseeing gender programs and the Women's Center, and Rev. Don Hanway, retired vicar of St. Mark's on the Campus Episcopal Church.

Deeds serves as a tri-chair of the Committee for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns at UNL, and has offered a variety of programs and services to GLBT students through the Women's Center. Deeds was described by her nominators as being "a tireless advocate who fulfills a number of roles fearlessly, graciously, and expertly."

Rev. Hanway has been a longstanding member of UNL's Committee for GLBT Concerns. His recent book, "A Theology of Gay and Lesbian Inclusion: Love Letters to the Church," has had local, regional and national impact on GLBT inclusion in the religious community. His nominator commented that Hanway "has helped to build bridges that need to be built to reach across the chasm that prejudice and discrimination have created" working to educate and connect the GLBT and non-GLBT communities.

The student recipient was Alan Ratliff, a junior from Omaha double-majoring in sociology and English. Ratliff is a member of ASUN student government, and the president of Students for Sexual Health and University Slam; a member of Peers Encouraging Responsible Sexuality at UNL, student co-chair of the Committee for GLBT Concerns, and past-president of the Queer Student Association. He recently was inducted into Mortar Board. He has worked to help two organizations, PERSUNL and SPECTRUM, and now QSA, to restructure into leadership teams rather than hierarchies to allow more students to serve in leadership capacities.

More information is available online at www.unl.edu/cglbtc.

CONTACT: Pat Tetreault, Asst. Director, Student Involvement, GLBT Programs and Services, (402) 472-7447