Recent initiatives by Elon University have earned it praise from a national organization that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and campus groups.
A national advocacy group has named Elon University among the top 25 American colleges and universities for policies, programs and practices friendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
Campus Pride, one of the nation’s largest educational organizations for LGBTQIA college students and campus groups, released its seventh annual Campus Pride Index on Aug. 24, 2015, with Elon earning 4.5 out of 5 stars for its support services, training programs and institutional policies.
That status placed Elon onto Campus Pride’s inaugural list of “Top 25 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities.” The university is one of the fastest-rising institutions on the list. Just two years ago, Elon ranked #370 for its efforts to promote inclusion of LGBTQIA students and employees.
Some of the many initiatives that contributed to Elon’s rise in the Campus Pride Index include:
- Establishment of the Gender & LGBTQIA Center in Moseley Center
- Establishment of the Presidential LGBTQIA Task Force and Implementation Team
- LGBTQIA EduSessions in academic classrooms are available upon faculty request
- Training about LGBTQIA issues and concerns has been ongoing across the university, including Residence Life, Greek Life, Campus Safety & Police, Athletics, Campus Recreation and the Student Professional Development Center
- Trans athletes can participate on teams that align with their gender identity
- The question of sexual identity is now offered on admissions applications: 3.5 percent of enrolled students in the Class of 2019 indicated they identified as LGBTQIA
- Dozens of universal restrooms have been designated across campus
- Implementation and promotion of an LGBTQIA Employee Resource Group
- Evolution of the Lavender Graduation ceremony each spring with 14 scholarships awarded at the most recent program
“My hope is that we will see Elon University sustain itself as a national leader in assisting LGBTQIA students,” said Matthew Antonio Bosch, director of the university’s Gender & LGBTQIA Center.
The Campus Pride Index is based in research on policy, program and practice and is conducted for and by LGBTQ experts in the field of higher education. Each campus updates its index annually and uses the Campus Pride benchmarking tool to make improvements for LGBTQ life on campus.
To be in the Top 25 listing, an institution had to score the highest percentages in the LGBTQ-friendly benchmarks. The listing this year includes colleges with student populations from 1,600 to over 50,000, public and private schools alike.
Elon is one of only two schools in the index’s Southern region, ranking ahead of the University of Louisville.
“As time goes on, the needs of LGBTQ college and university students change,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride and creator of the Campus Pride Index. “Therefore, we have updated our Campus Pride Index assessment to reflect that, with higher standards for campuses and a higher focus on trans and gender nonconforming students.”
“There is a lot to be learned” from the Top 25 campuses on this listing, Windmeyer said. Many of these campuses are specifically addressing recruitment and academic retention efforts for LGBTQ students as well as concerns for transgender student safety.
Colleges and universities recognized on Campus Pride’s “Top 25” (in alphabetical order)
- Cornell University
- Elon University
- Indiana University, Bloomington
- Ithaca College
- Macalester College
- Montclair State University
- Princeton University
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick
- San Diego State University
- Southern Oregon University
- The Ohio State University
- The Pennsylvania State University
- Tufts University
- University of Colorado at Boulder
- University of Louisville
- University of Maine at Machias
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- University of Oregon
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Vermont
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
- Williams College
“It floors me to imagine in two years time we’ve catapulted over 350 schools,” Bosch said of Elon University’s most recent rating. “LGBTQIA prospective students do search the Campus Pride website. They search for the top 25, and often, these are places where they want to go.”