The Presidential Task Force on Discrimination and Harassment Based on Sexual Orientation will hold an open forum next week to discuss issues affecting NIU’s gay and lesbian community.

The forum will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in Room 506 of the Holmes Student Center.

The task force was organized in the spring to evaluate the frequency, form and circumstance under which such discrimination and/or harassment occurs and to evaluate what regulations, programs and processes are in place for addressing such cases.

“We are having an open meeting where people can express what this campus is like for these individuals,” said Cathy Hotelling, director of Counseling and Student Development.

The task force’s goal is to also recommend any additional procedures, training and/or educational intervention that are needed to address and eliminate discrimination.

“I think we are going to start seeing results,” said Brian Turkaly, president of NIU’s Gay and Lesbian Union.

A major project the task force has started is a survey covering the whole spectrum of discrimination and harassment, Turkaly said.

“We distributed a questionnaire to faculty, staff and a random sampling of 3,000 students about two weeks ago,” said Norden Gilbert, a member of the task force and NIU Associate Legal Counsel and Contracts administrator.

Gilbert said responses have been coming in and the questionnaire was a major project for the task force.

Another idea being discussed is a gay and lesbian studies seminar.

“They have a class more or less set. They have a couple of people teaching sections,” Turkaly said. “I think a gay and lesbian studies seminar is a big step forward.”

While the task force has been discussing projects, Gilbert said it still is too early to tell what kind of impact it has had or will have on campus.

“It’s really still early. We’ve been gathering information,” he said. “The task force has not made any recommendations yet.”

However, Gilbert said the existence as an outlet for concerns can be seen as an improvement in the environment on campus.

“We have a source people can go (to),” Turkaly said. “There’s something here specifically for this problem.”

The open forum will allow students to make specific statements identifying their concerns, but each student will be limited to 10 minutes.