At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday Triskelion, Brandeis' Queer group hosted its first big event of the year on campus, the Big Queer Soiree, in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. The event featured three speakers and food in a formal setting to present the Angel of the Year award to Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences, Elaine Wong. Lyndsay Agans, the Castle Quad Director, opened the evening with general comments to address the entire crowd, members of Trisk , of the newly-formed Queer Resource Center (QRC) and supporters who came to the event.

The QRC is Triskelion's new center created this year to focus on issues of education and support on-campus. It is staffed by fourteen students all given a week of intensive training before the start of this year in general peer counseling and queer issues. They are available Monday through Friday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. to help and counsel students. They staff a phone line, an e-mail address and also an IM name so that counselors are always accessible.

Triskelion General Coordinator Aaron Schwid '05 spoke next. He detailed the progress Trisk has made in the past year since its reconstruction, and also about its future plans as a group that wishes to reach out to the community. "There are people who are just people," he stated, "Everyone has a different experience with gender."

The club's recent efforts have focused increasingly on general acceptance and outreach to all levels and groups in the community. Schwid commented on this, explaining plans that include "going out to everyone and talking to them, because we can't wait for them to talk to us."

The group is also focusing on promoting the usage of the word "queer," not just as a term referring to homosexual people, but as to an entire state of mind. They are planning on instituing "a massive flyering campaign, like this school has never seen before" in order to promote the usage of "queer" in everyday life. As Schwid so eloquently put it, "For hundreds of years it's been a derogatory term, but not anymore. We're taking it back."

Schwid also spoke about Triskelion's new dedication to the issue of acceptance and tolerance on campus. He emphasized that no matter how hard the issue of connecting to other on-campus groups is, they will continue to reach out, because someone will accept their hand.
After Schwid's presentation, Irene Fishman '05, Triskelion's financial coordinator, took the microphone to present Wong with her award. The Angel of the Year award is a new honor from Trisk to any student or faculty member who has shown exceptional initiative and dedication in conjunction with Triskelion and its goals.

Wong was honored to accept the award, saying that it was "one of the most meaningfl things that will ever be given to me." She also showered words of praise, hope and promise on the audience. "This community isn't ever going to be ideal or perfect," she said. "But we have to be putting our effort to bring it closer and closer."
With such a dynamic and admirable group of people at their side, it is hard to imagine Triskelion not meeting their optimistic goals.