Student organization of the week
Written by Dustin Eckroth Friday, 05 February 2010 08:00
The Ten Percent Society will be hosting a number of events this semester in order to advance the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at NDSU.
For those unfamiliar with the TPS, the group’s mission statement, as found in the TPS Constitution, states the “Ten Percent Society is an organization committed to providing encouragement and support to: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning and allied students through social events and educational programs. The Ten Percent Society seeks to host an organization open to equality, diversity and outreach.”
After being inactive for two years, the TPS was reformed in 2008 by Kit Wong, who currently serves as co-chair. The group has recently formed three committees: a committee on social events, a committee on fundraising and a committee on social activism.
This semester, the group is scheduling several activities including a gay prom tentatively set for April, self-defense course featuring Joel Vettel from the Fargo Police Department on March 4, and a LGBT mentoring program. According to Wong, a number of other events are still in the planning stages.
Last year, Coming Out Week 2009 coincided with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 16 and saw a number of events organized by the TPS. The events included presentations by guest speakers, movies and plays featuring gay characters and a game night. The group plans on hosting Coming Out Week 2010 as well, though individual events have not been finalized.
The Ten Percent Society is committed to fostering a safe environment for its members. The identities and sexualities of all members remain anonymous. Wong said that all allies are welcome to join the group as well.
The group’s first meeting of the semester will take place tonight at 8 p.m., and anyone interested in joining or attending the meeting may contact Wong at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
