Another Sea of Homos!


Forty-eight hours, 97 breakout sessions and a count just less than 1,000 attendees from 15 states and Canada.

College students and presenters migrated to Ames from all over the Midwest Friday through Sunday for the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender and Ally College Conference. Although the issue of legalizing gay marriage has been heavily covered in the news recently, participants said it was just one part of the weekend’s discussions.

“A big problem is people just aren’t educated on queer issues,” said Dustin Wagner, a pre-nursing major at the University of Iowa who attended the conference.

The weekend’s theme was “Speak Up! Speak Out!” which organizers said meant encouraging non-heterosexuals and their allies to make sure others were aware of challenges facing gays and lesbians.

“I think one thing that actually did change [as a result of the weekend] in people’s minds was [when] we talked about community involvement,” said Scott Reichmann, co-chairman of the conference’s planning committee. “There was an incredible amount of energy.”

Reichmann said he didn’t notice major differences between gay issues the ISU community deals with compared to those mentioned by visitors from other campuses.

“It’s fair to say those issues are always present,” he said. “The specific way that they manifest themselves may be a little different.”

Rich Eychaner of Des Moines, who made a presentation and represented the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force, said he thinks discrimination against gays is common in Iowa and in the United States, making the theme all the more appropriate.

“There is obviously is a lot of assault and antagonism,” he said. “There are obviously a lot of people trying to keep gay youth from speaking.”

Eychaner said he thinks gay marriage will eventually become popularly accepted, although he said the prospect of a constitutional amendment prohibiting it is something the gay community needs to advocate against.

“The majority will turn in favor of encouraging long-term relationships from people from all kinds of walks,” he said, pointing out that the American public once favored employment discrimination against gays.

Wagner said speakers encouraged participants to be politically active.

“[They] told us it was very important for us to vote and to talk to our legislators,” he said.

An amendment to the Constitution, he said, would mark “the first time that discrimination will be added into the Constitution.”

Troy Nesbitt, senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, 56829 U.S. Highway 30, said he disagreed.

“I’m always opposed to any legislation that would be clearly against what I believe to be God’s intended purpose and design for relationships,” he said. “My position on the issue is a biblical position.”

Nesbitt, whose church also contains the college Christian ministry The Salt Company, said he thought the ISU conference represented an attempt to create a “discriminatory category” for its constituents that didn’t really exist.

“From my perspective, I’m always a bit disappointed when the gay and lesbian community encourages pride in something I would consider unhealthy,” he said.

Wagner said the issue of gay marriage will likely continue to inspire debate for some time.

“It is a huge deal that is affecting the queer community,” he said.

Around The Globe

Well, here I am sitting in my Apartment. You’d think that by now I’d be used to not having Andrew around any. After all this time that we’ve been apart already, it should get easier to be here alone. But it’s really not.

I went back tonight and read all the updates from August. And all those feeling are coming back, so strongly. I know I haven’t really written much about how I miss him so much lately. I think that if I don’t write it, I don’t feel it. But I do feel it, and as I sit here and remember how hard it was to leave him back in August, and how horrible those first couple weeks were, all that time tell he came back and told me how much he loved me. I’m remembering how hard all that was, and it really isn’t much easier now.

I remember that great trip that we had in mid August and all the fun that we had just sitting in his grandpa’s house watching TV all day, and playing video games. That trip to NY, and to the ocean. The trip to his school. I really wish we could have gone past his old house. I would have enjoyed seeing that.

I go back and I look at those pictures that we took the night we were saying goodbye, and I see how read our eyes are from the crying, and I remember how horrible it was. I remember how I wished after leaving him that it had gone differently. I always wished that I could have had one last kiss that night, or one last hug. One extra I love you. Just that night. I know it doesn’t really seem to make much sence. But the whole ride back to my hotel… I was just wishing that we could have had one more last kiss, more then just the peck on the lips that we had… One last passionate kiss.

This weekend I missed him so much more then I have in a long time. Having V-day come and go, and all I had was a phone call. And having to watch all those other homos at the conference walk around with their bf’s and kissing and holding hands and being cute. I hated them all, I just wanted to walk around and show them all HOW cute my boyfriend was, and how special we are. How great we are to be able to hold together a relationship over such a great distance.

I know we’ve had problems lately, but they’re minor. And Andrew said something lsat night that really made me feel better… That it was a good that we got along so much better when we’re together. He said it shows that we’re meant to be together and not apart.

Now if only the togetherness would come faster.

I really wanted to fly out there this weekend, it was only $250. I just wish there would be somewhere for me to stay. I really really wanted to see him this weekend. I wanted to hold him and have him make love to me again. I want him to whisper in my ear again, like he did the first time. It was so passionate, so loving…”I want to make love to you”. I remember those words, and how he said them. I could hear it in his voice that he loved me so much.

I’m so happy to have him, I’m so happy that he loves me so much. And that I love him.

A Sea of Homos!

So this weekend has been pretty fun. The big gay conf went off great. Lots of hot homos there, and lots of annoying couples on V-day.

Hung out with Dustin and gang for most of the weekend. They were all tons of fun.

Hopefully Daniel will send me all the pics like I’ve asked him too. Then I might post some of them.

Drove the PU’s to the airport at 3:30 this morning, and didn’t get back to bed tell 5. I slept in and missed the last breakout. Which was sad cause it was the one Dustin and crew were doing and I really wanted to see it.

I have tons of HW to do today, so I’m off to do that.

Laters all.

Edit://
I meant to mention that they had GenderFree bathrooms at the conf! It was SOOO fun! 😛

Grads May Make More Money

Graduating in May? Good timing.

College graduates hired in 2004 are expected to make more money than those from the past two years.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported an expected 12.7 percent increase in hiring of college graduates in its latest quarterly starting salary survey, which was released earlier this month.

“The overall economy started picking up in the last half of 2003, so future labor needs have been increasing,” said Peter Orazem, professor of economics.

Larry Hanneman, director of engineering career services, said he wasn’t surprised to hear there was an expected increase in starting salaries.

“I’m not surprised to see an increase, given that we’re seeing an increase in recruiting activity this year compared to last year,” Hanneman said.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported computer engineering and chemical engineering are at the top of the list for the most lucrative college degrees. Both disciplines showed a slight increase in starting salaries since last year.

Computer engineering starting salaries reached $53,117, a small increase from last year, while chemical engineering salaries have risen 2.5 percent to $52,563.

“[The] need for quantitative skills has increased over the last 20 years, which is why we see an increase in engineering, especially,” Orazem said.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported employers also indicated hiring increases for computer science, information sciences and systems and management information systems majors, none of which has seen an increase since 2001.

Computer science majors’ average starting salaries increased 8.9 percent to $48,656, and management information systems graduates are looking at starting salaries around $41,100, a 1.3 percent increase over last year.

Computer science is becoming a part of daily life for virtually everyone, so salaries will increase to fulfill demand, said Drew Miller, senior in computer science.

“We’ll probably see a lot more people going into the field in the next four or five years,” Miller said.

He said he plans to graduate in May 2005 and pursue a career with legal software in Iowa.

“I’m in computer science because I find computers fascinating, and the fact that it’s a relatively lucrative career is just a bonus,” Miller said.

Liberal arts majors are also expected to see a starting salary increase of 3.5 percent this year. Despite the increase, the major continues to rank on the lower end of the starting salary scale. Salaries offers in 2004 are estimated at $30,153.

Miller suggested students move forward with cautious optimism. He said it’s important to remember that sometimes students with majors that have very high average starting salaries also have fewer job offers to choose from.

Hanneman said persistent effort often leads to jobs.

“I think that students were concerned by what they read and saw in the media [about the economy], but those who put forth a proactive effort will be successful,” Hanneman said.

Though the colleges and employers association reported salary increases for about two-thirds of college majors, some others are expected to suffer a small decrease.

Psychology majors are estimated to see an 8 percent decrease, taking their average starting salary down to $25,032.

Orazem said he doesn’t see any reason for students to worry if their major is expected to have lower salaries this year.

“Your first job is not your last job. Firms will train you, so if you’re trainable you will be of value to them,” Orazem said. “A major doesn’t lock you into one job — just be flexible.”

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Here’s Last Semester’s info for MIS Majors:
Department | Total Professionally Occupied | Temp work | Seeking
MIS 75% 15% 10%

How Do You?

How am I supposed to take it when he says, “I don’t want to get annoyed at you everytime we talk.”

How? I ask. Because apparently I took it wrong, being upset by that, isn’t what I was supposed to do.

And you know, it’s true. Nearly everytime we’ve talked one of us gets annoyed at the other person for something. Wether it be that I say i want to make out with someone, or he doesn’t ask me how my day is going, or some other stupid fucking thing.

It’s getting all very disheartening. I really don’t like it.

I miss him so much, and I want him to be here so badly. But yet when I get upset about something he doesn’t seem to want to fix it.

He says that I do the same things, get mad at him when he’s upset about something, but at least I don’t just say, “Alright, be mad.” Or something along those lines. I TRY to understand why he’s mad.

This last talk we had just made me even more mad, because it seemed as though he just wanted to get back to whatever he was doing and not try and talk to me. And try and fix my upsetness.

I honestly don’t know what’s happening and it’s scaring me alot. We’ve been aruging way to much lately. There’s not enough time in the day to talk about anything, and he’s ALWAYS off to go somewhere else or doing something else while he’s talking to me.

All that I really want is for some time to just talk to him. No other distractions, no “I have to go because of ____” none of that. I JUST WANT US TIME.

And now he’s going and thinking about adding even MORE hours to his schedule. I honestly don’t think that’s going to be a good idea. I REALLY don’t.

And what really annoys me most is that I always feel that once we get off the phone from an argument, or an annoyance, he goes and talks to all his friends and I’m sure he tells them about it. And I feel so horrible about that because I don’t want them to think poorly of me. I don’t want this to be an Adam and I relationship. Only this time it’s me causing all the problems. And he’s the one talking to someone else about how bad our realtionship is. I don’t want that at all. Because that’s not the way that our relationship is.

I hate this. Being apart. I hate it. I hate it a lot.

I want him to be here, and to sleep with him every night. I want to come home and kiss him and have him on my couch, I want to go out with him, I want to cook him supper.

I want what we had during the month of January for the rest of my life. It was the best month of my life, and I want it for the rest of it. I want him back here.