Campus Pride, a national resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education, recently announced 黑料不打烊 as one of the "Best of the Best" in supporting LGBTQIA students.聽
黑料不打烊 has been included in the 2023 鈥溾 list from Campus Pride for a ninth consecutive year. , a national nonprofit resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, selected 30 institutions nationwide that best support LGBTIA communities through their policies, programs and practices.
Campus Pride, a valuable resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education, gave 黑料不打烊 a five-star ranking on its Campus Pride Index benchmarking tool. To earn a five-star ranking, campuses must receive a score from 90 to 100% based on their LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.聽Campuses are scored in eight LGBTQ-friendly factors, including housing, campus safety, academics, student life, and recruitment and retention efforts.
“This recognition is important as it spotlights the LGBTQIA+ communities at 黑料不打烊 during a time when there are forces at work impacting negatively the lives of queer and trans people,” said Luis Garay, director of the Gender and LGBTQIA Center (GLC) at 黑料不打烊. “Students often cite the Campus Pride Index as a reason for choosing 黑料不打烊. Because of this, the GLC is committed to working with our campus partners to continue to provide support and affirmation for LGBTQIA students at 黑料不打烊.”
Campus Pride began the Best of the Best List to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of colleges and universities dedicated to creating safer, more welcoming campuses for LGBTQ+ people.
Among the accomplishments and milestones at 黑料不打烊 by the Gender and LGBTQIA Center during the past year:
- The GLC received a grant of nearly $300,000 to address sexual violence, relationship violence and stalking from nearly $300,000聽from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. That grant supported the hiring of the new Assistant Director of the GLC for Gender-based Violence Prevention & Training. Additionally,聽the GLC created聽a聽grant advisory team called the Community Prevention & Capacity-building Team (Community PACT)聽and recruited over 40 members from 25 campus departments and community organizations. The group met 6 times in the spring聽semester.
- The GLC forged new partnerships with students in the Department of Performing Arts聽for聽, with the Native American Student Association聽for聽the first recognition of聽, and with the Kernodle Center for Student Life and CREDE for聽KING Academy聽mentoring program at Mayco聽Bigelow Community Center.
- The Fall 2022 class had the largest number of incoming LGBTQIA-identified students at 199聽(a 48.5% increase from the previous year). Also, the Gender and Sexuality Living Learning Community had the largest聽number of participants at 47 residents聽(an 88% increase from the previous year), and the 11th聽Annual Lavender Graduation saw its largest participation levels with 81 LGBTQIA graduates (a 58.8% increase from the previous year).
- The GLC held over 41 events聽related to LGBTQIA聽identities or gender-based violence聽prevention and response, reaching over 1,480 students, faculty, staff聽and community members.
- The GLC and the LGBTQIA Alumni Network launched a monthly ‘Alumni Q*nnection’ virtual event series to bring together alumni to connect with each other, learn about the network and the GLC, and be updated on the work of the 10 Year Anniversary.
- The GLC will celebrate its 10th聽Anniversary during Homecoming 2023, which will provide聽an opportunity to reengage聽alumni, increase giving, and collaborate聽on special programming.
鈥淭he Best of the Best list was first created in 2009 as a way to showcase colleges and universities that were committed to offering safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students, so that students and families could make informed choices about where to pursue higher education,鈥 said聽Campus Pride Founder, CEO and Executive Director Shane Mendez Windmeyer. 鈥淚n today鈥檚 climate, which finds LGBTQ+ identities being used as political talking points and laws being weaponized against LGBTQ+ people, the commitment to creating campuses that welcome and protect LGBTQ+ students can not be taken for granted. The colleges and universities that made our list this year deserve this highest recognition for the efforts they have made and continue to make.鈥
The full methodology and list of honorees can be聽found .