Making Colleges and Universities Safe for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Students and Staff
by Warren J. Blumenfeld
I. Policies
- Enact nondiscrimination policies on the basis of sexual orientation in matters of hiring, tenure, promotion, admissions, and financial aid.
- Have policies and procedures for dealing with homophobic violence and harassment.
- Have a written, inclusive, and affirming definition of "couples" that is nondiscriminatory towards same-sex couples in a way that is appropriate for each institution.
- Ensure equal access and equality of all benefits and privileges granted to all employees and students.
- Have policies of active outreach in hiring openly GLBT and/or GLBT-sensitive faculty, staff, and administrators in all segments of the campus community.
- Actively recruit openly GLBT prospective students.
All of the above policies should be written, clear, consistent, accessible, and well-publicized throughout the campus.
II. Training and Development
- Homophobia and other "diversity" workshops should be implemented for the entire campus community to sensitize and educate staff, faculty, and administrators.
III. Services
- Colleges and universities provide official recognition, support,
and funding of campus GLBT student organizations.
- Physically safe, secure, and appropriate space with a welcoming,
emotionally safe atmosphere should be available to GLBT organizations
for meetings, social events, coffee houses, lectures, fora, workshops,
and other events.
- Legal and fundraising support services should be available to
GLBT students.
- Campus housing should include GLBT living options.
- University leadership should make strong, clear, public statements
on a regular basis that state the college's commitment to ending
discrimination, conviction that violence and harassment are entirely
unacceptable, and appreciation of the value of diversity on campus,
including diversity of sexual identity.
- Colleges and universities hire openly GLBT or GLBT-sensitive therapists/counselors,
faculty, staff, and administrators.
- Peer counselors and/or campus crisis hotline volunteers be adequately
trained in sensitivity to sexuality, sexual orientation/identity,
and "coming out" issues.
- Effective AIDS education, imperative for all people of all sexual
orientations, must be available and widespread.
- Social activities through residence halls, Offices of Student
Activities, and other organizations must be not only inclusive
of all sexual orientations and identities, without pressures toward
heterosexuality, but actively welcoming of GLBT people as well
as same-sex couples.
- College and university presidents have a standing advisory committee,
panel, or board, appointed or elected in consultation with GLBT
students, staff, and faculty members.
- Student opinion should be assessed regularly, by the above mentioned
panel or in some other manner, in order to gauge the effectiveness
of implemented changes.
- Campus publications should take care to provide adequate and fair
coverage of GLBT events and issues, both on and off campus.
- Colleges and universities should aid students in alumni outreach.
- Internship opportunities may also be cultivated among local GLBT-owned
businesses and GLBT activist and community service organizations.
- The diversity within the GLBT community should be recognized and
affirmed.
- The location and availability of resources of value to GLBT people
should be published in materials distributed to all students,
faculty, staff, and alumni.
- Personnel at the Career Planning/Placement Center, like personnel
in every college area, should be sensitive to GLBT issues and
be aware of employment opportunities in GLBT owned or GLBT friendly
businesses and
- community service organizations.
- While needs differ greatly at each of the hundreds of institutions
of higher education, it seems clear that for many, if not most,
the most critically important and invaluable resource is a GLBT
campus resource center with a paid administrator, staff, and resources.
- In institutions where financial resources do not allow for centers
and/or administrative support for any "minorities," there should
at least be an ombudsperson or other clearly recognized, identified,
and publicized as an official liaison to the campus GLBT community.
IV. Curriculum / Educational Materials / Academic Affairs
- Issues relating to GLBT people should be formally and permanently
integrated into existing courses across the curriculum
- Speakers on GLBT topics, and particularly those who present scholarly
research on GLBT topics, should be brought to campus regularly.
- Courses dealing specifically with GLBT issues in the humanities,
natural sciences, education, social sciences, and other disciplines
should be established.
- A visiting scholar position in GLBT studies should be created
and supported on a continuing basis.
- College and university libraries should increase their holdings
of GLBT books, periodicals, and computer networking systems.
- Campus facilities should be available for regional GLBT studies
conferences, with administrative support provided.
- Fellowship opportunities should be created and funded for teaching
and research of GLBT topics.
- Scholarship and research into GLBT history, culture, and theory
should be encouraged and supported in faculty and students.
- All multicultural education should be inclusive of the issues,
history, culture, and experiences of GLBT people in the United
States and worldwide. Multicultural awareness (social diversity)
courses should be mandatory for all students at some point during
the undergraduate years.
- An archive and history of GLBT organizations on campus should
be created.
V. Employee Concerns
- Policies regarding equal benefits and nondiscrimination should
be made clear in recruiting brochures, informational materials,
campus publications, and orientation sessions.
- The university should aid, support, and fund the creation of GLBT
faculty and staff discussion, support, and networking groups.
- Trade unions and professional organizations should have inclusive
policies and supportive services available to their members.
- There should be equality in all benefits, including, for example:
bereavement leave, insurance coverage, library privileges, access
to gym and other recreational facilities, listings in directories
if spouses are customarily listed, housing for GLBT couples where
the qualifications are analogous to the qualifying basis for heterosexuals,
"couple" rates must be made available to GLBT couples, access
to any and all other privileges and benefits by GLBT partners
if access is available to heterosexual spouses.
- There should be ongoing sensitivity training and staff development
on GLBT issues for all employees.
- Colleges and universities should cover the expenses of employees
attending conferences on GLBT issues.
VI. Community / Off-Campus Concerns
- Community GLBT groups should be invited to attend campus events
as participants, guests, and event leaders and facilitators.
- Information regarding social, religious, and other community resources
should be made easily accessible to all students, staff, faculty,
and administrators.
- Counselors, administrators, and faculty should be available to
parents or other community members to alleviate any concern that
may arise out of the implementation of any of the above recommendations,
as well as any concerns arising during their child's coming out
process, if that is the case.
- Representatives of GLBT student groups from different schools
should meet regularly to keep each other appraised of upcoming
events, plan events together, and strengthen the GLBT community.
- Publications, fundraising materials, and all other publications
distributed to parents and alumni should include relevant and
appropriate stories, essays, and news regarding GLBT issues, organizations,
and events.
- Corporations, public agencies, and government, religious, and
community agencies and institutions that do not have official
written policies against discrimination based on sexual orientation
should be strongly discouraged or prohibited from on- campus employment
or enlistment recruiting.
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