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When Tia Kolasa was overwhelmingly elected by her peers to fill an opening on the student senate intended for a minority representative at Valparaiso University, initial responses were positive all around.
Kolasa was both well liked by her fellow students and respected. In her brief time in the student senate she raised awareness of LGBT issues within the campus.
But only a few weeks after she started, Kolasa was forcibly removed from her seat. The university claimed under its bylaws, “sexual orientation did not qualifying as a minority status.”
However, Valparaiso University, the largest independent Lutheran University in America may have had ulterior motives. Some believe the religious university didn’t want to alienate its alumnus and potential donors by involving LGBT students in official campus positions.
A student who did not wish to be identified summed it up as: “this was all about fund raising”, and added, “This was also about keeping some 60 year old white guys happy."
The young woman involved, Tia Kolasa didn’t decidedly blame the university explaining she, “wouldn’t put the blame on anybody, I put the blame on society in general not being open as we should be.”
Kolasa also has not been dissuaded from participating on campus. She is also the vice president of the Alliance student group and bragged meeting attendance had grown exponentially since the previous year. She promised no matter what she’s, “going to continue to fight for LGBT rights.”
