Growing number of colleges receive Campus Pride’s five-star gay-friendliness rating, nearly doubles from last year

This Fall a growing number of American colleges and universities are taking steps to make their campuses safer and more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, according to the new ratings from the Campus Pride’s LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. In fact, 33 schools – nearly double the number from last year – received the highest ratings available for institutions of higher education.

The Campus Climate Index lists nearly 300 publicly available campus climate reports online at www.campusclimateindex.org. The nationally-praised Index takes an in-depth look at LGBT-friendly policies, programs and practices. Colleges are rated from one to five stars, depending on their answers to a detailed, voluntary questionnaire submitted to Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders. Launched online in Fall 2007, the Index has become a staple in student and faculty research, campus organizing efforts and benchmarking for LGBT student safety and inclusion on campus.

Unlike other national LGBT-friendliness rankings for colleges and universities, Campus Pride's Campus Climate Index takes into account answers by students, faculty and staff to highly detailed, comprehensive questions assessing LGBT-friendly policies, programs and practices.

Belmont University denies gay-straight student org

Nashville, Tenn.'s Belmont University has denied the formation of a gay-straight student organization on campus. Student Robbie Maris is president of the group, Bridge Builders. He says it started after a Facebook group was formed to support students at the private Christian (formerly Baptist) school.

"I know a lot of the gay community at Belmont feels marginalized and feels like they don't have a place to meet on campus," Maris told Nashville's News Channel 5.

University administrators said in a statement: "Recognizing the importance of mutual respect and diverse opinions from Christian perspectives and the challenges of cultivating such informal dialog on these issues, the university chose not to meet their request, but to create a university-led opportunity for this discussion. Beginning last spring, a university sponsored discussion group on these issues has convened twice monthly and expects to continue for the duration of this academic year." Read more...

Christian fraternity kicks out members

Two former members of Beta Upsilon Chi, a Christian fraternity at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., say they were told to leave the group because their sexual orientation violated the fraternities code of conduct. Read more...

Community college students want GSA

Students at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., want to start a gay-straight alliance of their own, student paper Aztec Press reports. Read more...

Will Rutgers amend their policies?

New Jersey's Rutgers University has been at the center of controversies over student safety and LGBT inclusion on college campuses ever since student Tyler Clementi committed suicide in September. The Daily Princetonian explores the colleges current policies and discussions on possible amendments. Read more...

UCLA ROTC follows 'Don't Ask'

The University of California-Los Angeles' student newspaper, Daily Bruin, explores the college's policies as it relates to the campus ROTC program. Read more...

Canadian school district asks students about sexual orientation

As American colleges determine whether or not to ask students voluntary questions on sexual orientation and gender-identity, one Canadian school district is beating them to the punch. Canada's Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is conducting a voluntary, anonymous survey of each of its students in grades 7-12. They'll ask 150,000 students a variety of questions, including, according to the blog Queerty, "how much money their parents make, what religion they belong to, and what kind of job they imagine holding down in the future." The survey also askes if "they like boys or girls or both." Grades 6 and below will receive a different questionnaire. Read more...

Thanks to The Advocate (and a bevy of other news-media across the nation) for the coverage of Campus Pride's 19 five-star-rated campuses in our LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index.

Be sure to check out our two releases on the subject:
"Campus Pride Climate Index ranks gay-friendliness of American colleges and universities" Aug. 2
"Campus Pride successful in changing "Alternative Lifestyle" Princeton Review list wording" Aug. 4

From The Advocate:

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Campus Pride Climate Index ranks gay-friendliness of American colleges and universities just in time for ‘Back to School’

Nineteen schools nationwide make highest five-star rating; Other schools taking positive steps to 'come out' for their LGBT students

(Charlotte, NC) – As thousands of students return to their college or university campus and as many step onto campus as a new student for the first time this fall semester, they now have one complete and comprehensive national resource ranking for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion and friendliness.

The Campus Pride LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index lists over 230 publicly available campus climate reports online at www.campusclimateindex.org. The nationally praised Index takes an in-depth look at LGBT-friendly policies, programs and practices. Colleges are ranked from one to five stars, depending on their answers to a detailed, voluntary questionnaire submitted to Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders. In development since 2001, the Index has become a staple in student and faculty research, campus organizing efforts and benchmarking for LGBT student safety and inclusion on campus.

Each summer, university officials are encouraged to fill out new questionnaires and update their Index profiles. This year, the Campus Climate Index is proud to announce five-star rankings for 19 colleges and universities – the most ever achieving the Index’s highest ranking since the its inception in 2007-08.