Education is the vehicle that can take you as high as your hopes and aspirations can reach. It opens doors to new opportunities and ways of looking at the world. It also connects you with many of the people with whom you can find community and a shared purpose. For these reasons, choosing the right campus for LGBTQ students is a top priority!
Thankfully, since those early iPhone days of yesteryear (why does 2007 seem like ancient history) LGBTQ students from around the world have been able to rely on Campus Pride Index for information related to inclusiveness and equality on colleges across the country. With this resource, both students and parents can learn about what your favorite colleges are doing to improve the academic experience and quality of life for all students.
University of Arizona Scores 4.5 in Campus Pride Index
Founded upon strong theoretical research, the Campus Pride Index reviews programs, practices, and policies enacted by the college and the surrounding area that affect the inclusiveness of campus learning environments. To reach this score, the Campus Pride team looked at:
- Official LGBTQ Inclusion Policy
- The Support and Institutional Commitment extended to LGBTQ Students
- Academic Life for LGBTQ Students
- LGBTQ Campus Safety
- Counseling and Health Services Geared Towards LGBTQ Students
- Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Student Candidates
Official LGBTQ Inclusion Policy
The University of Arizona hit all the marks when it came to the inclusion policy. From the colleges very strong non-discrimination stance to the extending health benefits to employees same-sex spouses, The University of Arizona excels at inclusion!
Support and Institutional Commitment Extended to LGBTQ Students
Also receiving a perfect score, the U of A has great LGBTQ Support and has made an institutional commitment to inclusiveness. Thanks to it’s dedicated LGBTQ resource center and paid support staff, UA has made an awesome commitment to its students!
Academic Life for LGBTQ Students
People must learn diversity to be able to interact skillfully with others that might not think and look just like them. The University of Arizona definitely recognizes this with its LGBTQ studies program and specific course offerings to learn more about LGBTQ history and issues. Bringing people together in both mind and body is the reason UA has such a welcoming and friendly community!
LGBTQ Campus Safety
Near and dear to my heart, safety is an important factor for any LGBTQ student when choosing where to go to school. Having clear, structured rules and boundaries relating to sexual identity is the first step in making LGBTQ students feel safe and protected. UA gets high marks on its hate crime procedures and campus police training programs, all which create a safe and healthy scholastic environment.
Counseling and Health Services Geared Towards LGBTQ Students
UA gets a perfect score for its counseling and health services. From the well-trained and courteous staff providing free and anonymous STI testing to the well-developed counseling and support groups, you can get the help you need at the University of Arizona. I encourage everyone to read up on the amazing health care services offered by your University of Arizona Student Health Care Plan!
Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Student Candidates
This is the one area where UA could use some work. To be truly diverse, you must make efforts to find and retain a diverse pool of talent, whether you are a Fortune-500 company or a metropolitan University. While UA has mentoring programs to assist LGBTQ students with the transition from high school to college, they could go further.
They already offer a few other scholarships to lots of different deserving students from various socio/ethnic background, therefore the implementation of a LGBTQ scholarship would be the final piece of the puzzle. This would allow them to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and further demonstrate their commitment to an inclusive, diverse future!
Have a great day,
Tony Ray 🙂
