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Compared to 2010 figures, nearly twice as many American universities and colleges earned five-star “gay-friendliness” ratings this year from Campus Pride, a national non-profit that works to create “safer, more LGBT-inclusive” colleges.
The organization gives one to five stars in eight areas: 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.
"Campus Pride's Index is the only one of its kind," says Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer, a leading author, speaker and researcher on LGBT campus issues. "Unlike other commercially-driven rankings, our ratings are done for and by LGBT people and set in a foundation of solid research practice."
Out of approximately 300 campus climate reports, only 33 schools walked away with perfect scores. They include: American University; Amherst College; Carleton College; Dartmouth College; Emory University; Humboldt State University; Indiana University; Ithaca College; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Oberlin College; Oregon State University; Princeton University; San Diego State University; Southern Oregon University; Stanford University; Syracuse University; The Ohio State University; The Pennsylvania State University; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Maine; Farmington University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Michigan; University of Oregon; University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern California; University of Vermont; University of Washington; Washington University in St. Louis; and Whitman College.
"Campus Pride applauds all campuses who have ‘come out’ on the Index, regardless of their rating. By doing so these campuses are taking active responsibility for their LGBT campus community," says Windmeyer. "The Campus Pride Index grew by nearly a third over the past year, but there are still many, many other colleges and universities who have yet to ‘come out’ for their LGBT students and then take adequate steps to protect and ensure a safe, welcoming learning environment."
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