We won!  When we left Bendetson Hall at 7:30 on Wednesday November 29,
2000 we carried with us a letter from the president that contained the words “the
non-discrimination policy is understood to include self-acceptance of identity.”  What at
one time was declared impossible had been actualized. 
 The process was not without its bumps.  In the end; however, thanks to the
consensus decision making process, strong group solidarity, copious planning, large
amounts of support from students, faculty, and the media, as well as a concerted effort to
minimize leadership hierarchy, we were victorious. 
 We went beyond establishing friendships and created bonds of respect,
admiration, trust, and openness that, without question, turned into love. 
 In the end, we learned a great deal.  We learned about strategic planning and mass
mobilization.  We discovered how to work with the consensus process and keys to
effective stress management.  We built foundations for strong friendships.  In retrospect,
many of us have been able to better understand and challenge our positions of privilege
with respect to equality of gender and sexual orientation.  But, maybe most importantly,
we empowered ourselves to effect change within our own community.  We took the
power from the elites and put it back into the hands of the people where it belongs.  This
exercise in non-violent direct action has taught us that we, as a group, can be powerful,
when individuals can become powerless.