Cohn, with the other two facilitators, says she is now developing a group for undergraduate men.

"But if enough women showed, we would form one for them too," Cohn says.

Unlike student support groups which are aimed at buildings a sense of community, the UHS program focuses on providing gay students with clinical counseling.

"It's therapy, not a drop-in group like Contact," says Cohn. "We see the same people each week."

But Oppenheimer criticizes the new UHS groups because their institutionalized approach at dealing with gay students' concerns makes many students hesitant to attend meetings.

"The University doesn't see that it's intimidating," Oppenheimer says. "People are led to believe that [being gay] is a disease because it's in a medical institution. That actually stops a lot of people from getting involved."

Gay Life in the Houses

Students, like Oppenheimer, who say they feel uncomfortable with the formal treatment offered at UHS, are afforded a more informal option in their houses.

MacKay-Smith supervises the Designated Tutors for Sexual Orientation Committee that trains house tutors to deal with gay issues.

"What I do is mostly advising," MacKay-Smith says. "Any student can talk confidentially to me about [their] sexuality."

"Sometimes students need to talk to someone who understands the issues as well as college infrastructure and the administration," she says.

House tutors do not necessarily have to be gay themselves in order to advise gay students, but they must attend a series of regular training workshops.

"You don't have to be gay to be a good advisor," says MacKay-Smith, who chairs the workshops. "But [gay] students may need the advice of another gay person."

Tutors that attend the workshops are included on a list that is available in each house, as well as in the pamphlet, "Living in a Community of Equals," which is available at the Freshman Dean's Office.

Carla R. Imperial, a designated tutor in Currier House, says the role of the tutors is critical in providing advice to gay students.