Earlier today, we posted a bit on a great discussion our student leaders had at Campus Pride's Queer It Up Youth Leadership Action Institute yesterday at Creating Change, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's annual conference being held this weekend in Balitmore, Md.

The students talked at length on a variety of challenges they were experiencing on their campuses. In part one of the blog post, we explored students' thoughts on program collaboration with campus allies and partners, trans inclusion in student groups and on campus and group cohesion and internal issues.

We'll move on to the students' last two major concerns now: dealing with conservative and religious groups on campus and finding campus resources for fundraising and programming.

Read the rest after the jump...

Dealing with conservative and religious groups on campus

Some of our students expressed frustration with trying to work with -- or work around -- conservative-leaning political or religious groups on their campuses. In one instance, a conservative student group had led a push to attempt stripping funding and support from LGBT campus programs and student organizations. In another instance on another campus, students were attempting to answer questions on how and if to respond to hate preachers that often visited their campus. On another campus, a religious student organization had invited members of the campus LGBT student organization to a meeting where they discussed homosexuality as sinfulness and sickness.

In each of the challenges, students said it was important to look for allies in unlikely places. Even among conservative groups like College Republicans, students might find unexpected allies who believe in LGBT equality. On many campuses, some student religious organizations are openly welcoming and affirming of LGBT people. Cultivating personal relationships and building coalitions and collaborations with these individual allies and larger allied student organizations, the students said, would be essential to helping to counter anti-LGBT conservative or religious rhetoric.

Campus resources for fundraising and programming

The final concern and challenge for students was fundraising for programs support and other needs.

Students brainstormed various ways to raise money and one suggested looking off campus.

"Don't ever hold back on asking local community organizations for help," one student said. "A lot of organizations and businesses are willing to give; you just have to go ask them."

Students seeking to establish new LGBT student centers or other programs often find themselves facing uphill financial battles. Many college administrators are cautious when approaching new programs when the money needed to support them isn't readily available. At LGBT Architect, students can take a look at how other campuses have approached initiating new centers and programs. Some campuses have even shared their official proposals, which can be modeled and tailored for the specific needs of an individual campus.

Lastly, students also considered the impact of increased involvement in their student governments. On many campuses, student government associations are tasked with distributing student fee dollars to student organizations. Each campus and each student governing body has differing rules, regulations and processes on how to submit requests and proposals for money and then deliberate the final budgeting process. Knowing the rules and processes for your campus and encouraging active membership -- ultimately leading to holding an official student government position -- in your campuses' student governing body can increase the chances that a student group's concerns will be heard and met. Having a face and a voice at the table can often be the key.