Nick Lahman kneels in front of his desk, combing the pink hair of a mannequin bust. Standing a few feet away is Austin Mielke, trimming a red dress.

"We just want to create a leveling ground, so everyone can feel comfortable in their own shoes," says Mielke.  Lahman and Mielke are preparing their drag outfits for Halloween, but they also have taken on the challenge of reviving Augustana's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).

Lahman is a nontraditional student who is starting at Augie for the third time. In his first year at Augie in 2005, Nick, an open homosexual, was the subject of harassment due to his sexual orientation.

"My door was vandalized and rude messages were written on my door" Lahman said. Compared to 2005,  he finds Augustana a much more accepting home, but he still believes that Augustana students can do more to be accepting of their gay classmates and that is why he has chosen to lead GSA.

Mielke, a freshman, grew up in Brandon, S.D.

"Growing up gay in a small town, I really was the black sheep. I was kind of an outcast" said Austin of his high school experience.  "I had friends in Brandon, but Augustana is a refreshing experience."

GSA existed last year, but was unsuccessful in the eyes of Lahman and Mielke.

"They were thinking too big, too fast. We want to try to focus our efforts locally and try to be on campus more" Nick said.

Kate Schleusener, a junior anthropology major, agrees that GSA was unsuccessful in past years.

"I was really shocked, on coming to Augie after transferring from Colorado College that the GSA did so little" Schleusener said.  "This is college, and is supposed to be a place where everyone should be able to feel comfortable figuring out who they want to be."

Lahman and Mielke have a much more student-oriented approach to leading GSA.

"We want there to be no hierarchy, everyone in GSA is equal," they said. "We really just want to get involved in the community and get ourselves out there."

Being involved around campus is one thing Schleusener does not think GSA did a successful job of last year.

"I think GSA coming back will make a difference, if they get on campus and make themselves more of a presence" Schleusener said. "Being visible is a huge part of getting accepted into a community; it can't just be a passive ‘I hope they'll like us' kind of thing. The only things I ever did last year was watch movies in Tuve."

The presence of gay people on campus is growing, but Lahman and Mielke still feel they know more can be done to include gay students.

"I don't think we feel excluded, but I think many gay members of society feel uncomfortable coming out," they said. Acceptance into the community is something Lahman and Mielke hope to accomplish. Education is going to be a major part of their agenda.

"Right now, homosexuality really is just not talked about, but it becomes a bigger deal when people choose to ignore it," Lahman said.

The GSA held a preliminary meeting on Oct. 20 and they were overall very pleased with the turn out. The GSA meets every other Wednesday. Their next meeting will be Nov. 17.