Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What questions should a high school student ask to determine whether a college is a good fit for him or her as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (lgbt) student?

A. When seeking to evaluate what a school has to offer you as an lgbt student, look first at the school's official policies. Does its Equal Opportunity Policy statement include sexual orientation? If not, does the school have any public policy statement expressly prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation? The prohibition should, ideally, apply to employment, admissions, and access to university programs and facilities. Such a statement should be published widely, so look for it in the materials the school sends you, including its catalog. Also look for information on whether or not the school offers benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of employees and students.

The next area to investigate is the overall campus climate for lgbt people. Here, look at how visible lgbt people are on campus, what resources are available to them, and how and to what extent their issues and concerns are addressed on an ongoing basis. Is there an active lgbt student group? Is there a faculty group, or are there faculty who are openly lgbt? Are courses offered in lgbt/queer studies? Are there openly lgbt staff and administrators? Do lgbt events and programs take place regularly on campus? If, possible, talk to current lgbt students, or to lgbt faculty or staff, to find out what their experiences have been at the school and how they would assess the overall campus climate for lgbt people.

To assess the level of support and resources available, consider whether the school funds a center or an office charged with providing support and services to lgbt people on campus. If not, is there a campus-wide lgbt committee or commission? And if neither of these resources exists, who does deal with lgbt issues and concerns on campus? If an lgbt person has a problem or complaint, to whom does she/he go? If this information is not readily available, then the campus is not showing that they take lgbt concerns seriously.

Other areas to look at in terms of support and resources are the counseling center, health service, residence halls, and other co-curricular areas. Are there openly lgbt staff in these areas? At the very least, do all staff receive some training on lgbt issues and concerns? Since many schools require first-year students to live on campus, and residence halls are frequent sites of homophobic (as well as racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, etc.) acts, ask a lot of questions about what is done to deter such acts, and to penalize those who engage in them. Look at written materials produced by co-curricular programs, and consider whether they use inclusive language, photographs, and examples.

A final factor to consider is the location of the school: How lgbt-friendly is the general area? Is there an organized local lgbt community? All else being equal, it is probably better to attend a school located in an lgbt-friendly town or city, since students rarely spend all their time on campus.

[This question was answered by Dr. Saralyn Chesnut, Director of Emory University's Office of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Life]

 

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© 2005 National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education.
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