The non-profit organization Campus Pride has been assessing LGBT-friendly policies at U.S. colleges and universities for the last decade. Seven Iowa schools are among the 341 institutions of higher education scored on the latest edition of the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. Follow me after the jump for details on how they stacked up.
Campus Pride developed the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index as a tool to evaluate and promote inclusive, welcoming policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Any college or university can participate at no charge by having a campus official fill out an online survey.
The LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index has a strong theoretical research foundation in campus climate issues. The index tool has been tested extensively since 2001 and was developed by Campus Pride with a team of national LGBT researchers which included Brett Genny Beemyn, Ph.D, Susan R. Rankin, Ph.D. and Shane L. Windmeyer, M.S, Ed. The index tool includes 50+ self-assessment questions, which correspond to eight different LGBT-Friendly factors. Questions receive a weight in order to emphasize and add value to specific LGBT components which were determined to contribute to a more inclusive, welcoming and respectful LGBT and Ally campus. All eight LGBT-Friendly factors receive the same weight in the overall score. The eight LGBT-Friendly factors are, as follows: 1. LGBT Policy Inclusion, 2. LGBT Support & Institutional Commitment, 3. LGBT Academic Life, 4. LGBT Student Life, 5. LGBT Housing, 6. LGBT Campus Safety, 7. LGBT Counseling & Health and 8. LGBT Recruitment and Retention Efforts. Please click here for more information.
Top-ranked schools received five out of five possible stars, while the least LGBT-friendly schools that chose to participate received scores of one star.
Few Bleeding Heartland readers will be surprised to learn that of Iowa’s three state universities, the University of Iowa scored highest on Campus Pride’s survey, with 4.5 stars. Iowa City may be the most gay-friendly community in our state, and the university has a strong history of inclusion as well.
As the first university in the nation to officially recognize the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Allied Union (LGBTAU) in 1970 and the first public university to offer same-sex partner benefits to its employees in 1993, the University of Iowa has a longstanding tradition of, and continued commitment to, inclusion of its LGBTQQIA students and employees. We are located in the first state in the Midwest to legalize same-sex marriage and this year we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of our LGBT resource center, as well.
Campus Pride gave the University of Iowa full marks for LGBT Policy Inclusion, LGBT Support & Institutional Commitment, LGBT Academic Life, LGBT Student Life, and LGBT Counseling and Health. The university received 4.5 stars in the LGBT Housing & Residence Life category, 4 stars for LGBT Recruitment and Retention Efforts, and only 3.5 stars for LGBT Campus Safety. This page contains links to the survey questions for each of those areas.
Iowa State University received four stars overall on Campus Pride’s index, based on full marks for Support & Institutional Commitment, Student Life, and Counseling & Health, 4.5 stars for campus safety, 4 stars for Policy Inclusion, 3.5 stars for Academic Life, 3 stars for Housing & Residence Life, and 2.5 stars for Recruitment and Retention Efforts. Click here for more details on how ISU measured up.
The University of Northern Iowa received an overall score of 3.5 stars. The breakdown: 5 stars for Student Life, 4.5 stars for Campus Safety, 4 stars for Policy Inclusion, 3.5 stars for Housing & Residence Life, 3 stars for Academic Life and Support & Institutional Commitment, and 2.5 stars for Recruitment and Retention Efforts and Counseling & Health.
Only one of Iowa’s community colleges is listed on the Campus Pride index. Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge has lots of room for improvement with a score of just 1 star in most categories. That said, it’s commendable that a campus official went to the trouble of seeing how the school measures up on LGBT friendliness. I hope that means some people are interested in improving the atmosphere on campus. I would be interested to know whether the Des Moines Area Community College or any other comparable institution already promotes a more inclusive environment.
Three private colleges in Iowa are ranked on Campus Pride’s index. Wartburg College in Waverly received the highest score among them, with 4.5 stars. I didn’t realize school officials had made such a conscious effort to create an LGBT-friendly atmosphere.
The Wartburg College community is committed to creating and maintaining a mutually respectful environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity among all students, faculty, and staff. Wartburg values human differences as an asset, works to sustain a culture that reflects the interests, contributions, and perspectives of members of diverse groups; and delivers educational programming to meet the needs of diverse audiences. We also seek to instill those values, understandings and skills to encourage leadership and service in a global multicultural society.
Over the last few years, Wartburg has become well-known in the state of Iowa as one of the most gay-friendly colleges in the state. Wartburg is the only private college in Iowa to win the Iowa Pride Network Gay-Straight Alliance Award.
What does the campus offer LGBT students?
Wartburg offers numerous opportunites for LGBT and Ally students. Below are the most obvious:
– A very active gay-straight alliance organization (the largest student organization on campus)
– Project RESPECT (safe zone) program for ally training and leadership development
– An LGBTA alumni group that meets each homecoming to allow for networking opportunities
– A week-long series of events for Coming Out Week in the fall
– A week-long series of events for GAYLA Week in the spring
– An Alliance office for students to study or work on projects
– Numerous forums and panel discussions throughout campus
– A campus Reconciling in Christ (Lutherans Concerned) chapter for those who want to see changes in the Lutheran Church
– The Wartburg general education plan requires that all students have some exposure to LGBT issues during their four years.
Wartburg received top scores in four of the eight areas on Campus Pride’s survey, 4.5 stars for Academic Life and Housing & Residence Life, 3.5 stars for Support & Institutional Commitment, and 3 stars for Policy Inclusion.
Wartburg’s arch-rival, Luther College, either did not participate in the Campus Pride survey or opted not to be visible on the online index. Decorah has a reputation for being a gay-friendly town; Winneshiek was one of the ten Iowa counties where a majority voted to retain the three Iowa Supreme Court justices in 2010. I would be interested to see Luther College’s scores on this index.
Grinnell College didn’t do as well as I expected, scoring 3.5 stars overall for LGBT-friendliness (details here). Wartburg, which has almost as small a student body, did better than Grinnell in most of the eight categories.
Buena Vista University, a small school in Storm Lake, received a low overall score of 1.5 stars (details here). As with Iowa Central Community College, I give credit to whoever filled out Campus Pride’s survey. I hope that some Buena Vista officials will view these scores as helpful feedback for improving the college’s policies and practices.
I didn’t see any score for Drake University in Des Moines, which is the largest private university in Iowa. Either no one at the school has filled out the survey, or university officials opted not to be visible on Campus Pride’s online index.
Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.