As many of you know, the recent SCAC Annual
Meeting for the election of new board members was marred by the revelation
that a SCAC volunteer accessed our client database and contacted many of
them in order to influence the outcome of the elections. Although he had
signed our standard Client Confidentiality Agreement before starting as a
volunteer, he maintained that this agreement did not specifically prohibit
him from the actions he took.
SCAC’s Executive Director and the
executive committee of the board found his behavior reprehensible, and on
Monday, October 21, the Executive Director terminated his volunteer
status. At a special meeting of the full board on October 30, it was voted
to remove him from the board.
At this special meeting, a committee was
appointed to review our confidentiality requirements and regulations. This
committee is to report their recommendations at our next board meeting on
December 9. It was also instructed to insure that a confidentiality
training session be given to all new volunteers, board members, and staff.
As an additional measure to assure confidentiality of information, all
external SCAC property locks and computer passwords have been changed.
In the meantime, a new administrative
volunteer with extensive accounting experience is assisting us in the SCAC
office. We are currently interviewing administrative assistant candidates
who will coordinate our client services programs, and will be seeking
additional volunteers to make sure these services are both effective and
client friendly.
The board and staff of SCAC highly value
the trust that clients and HIV service providers place in us. It is our
hope and expectation that the actions we have taken and are implementing
will insure a far more secure and better-functioning operation. Please
feel welcome to send any suggestions you may have to our Executive
Director or to me.
John Speicher
President, SCAC Board of Directors
Now that the election is over, I just
wanted to let everyone know how honored I am to have been elected District
14 Representative and how much I look forward to getting to work for
everyone in our district. Of course, I want to thank all the people who
voted for me, my hard-working volunteers, and especially my opponent Mike
Meoli, for running a terrific campaign that let us both concentrate on the
issues.
Most of all, I want to thank the people who
took the time to talk with me—at grocery stores, fundraisers, out to
dinner, and on my neighborhood walks, going door-to-door. So many people
took the opportunity to give me heartfelt insight into their issues,
needs, and hopes for our community. I learned a lot and met so many
wonderful people. Even if I had lost the election, I would have gained so
much.
But having won, I am anxious to get to
Dover and start doing what I can do to fight for our quality of life here
in District 14. I look forward to continuing our conversations, meeting
more and more of my constituents, and working hard for you.
Pete Schwartzkopf
Had the Delaware State Senate passed HB99,
the words “sexual orientation” would have been added to all of Delaware’s
non-discrimination laws. A poll of Delaware citizens indicated that 70%
supported this legislation. Without such legislation, gays and lesbians
can be denied employment, insurance, and housing. These two words would
provide legal protection for the more than 50,000 gays and lesbians who
live and work in Delaware.
Only 18 of Delaware’s top 50 employers
now include the words “sexual orientation” in their policy of
non-discrimination. The State of Delaware, most of the credit card
companies, DuPont, New Castle County, and 38 US Government departments and
agencies have lead the way. Regrettably, 32 major employers in Delaware
have yet to provide employment protection for gays and lesbians.
Three major employer groups in Delaware
have been very slow to protect the jobs of gay and lesbian employees. No
retail and commercial bank, including Wilmington Trust, PNC, and First
Union, includes “sexual orientation” in their non-discrimination
policy. Beebe Medical Center is the only one of the five major hospitals
in the state to offer employment protection for its gay and lesbian
employees. Of the more than 27 school districts and colleges in Delaware,
only the University of Delaware, Widener Law School, and Appoquinimink
School District include “sexual orientation” in their policy of
non-discrimination.
Some employers have recognized the fact
that the family unit in the United States has changed considerably. A
number of employers are now offering “domestic partner” benefits for
their gay and lesbian employees in an effort to attract and retain
qualified employees. With the decision of MBNA, the state’s largest
private employer, to offer such benefits as of January 2003, 12 of the
state’s top 50 employers now offer this employee benefit. HB99 would
have no effect on the benefits offered by any employer, but it is
gratifying to see that some major employers have enlightened management
and recognize that gays and lesbians have families also.
My study of Delaware employers clearly
indicates the need for passage of HB99. I request the Democratic
leadership of the Senate to make this bill a high priority when they
convene in January. I encourage the Republican leadership in the House to
join in a bi-partisan effort to protect the basic civil rights of the more
than 50,000 gay and lesbian citizens of Delaware.
Robert
D. Martz |
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