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by Amanda Young
Gay Students: The Latest Outreach Target
at Many Colleges
Today's colleges strive for diversity in Force, the average LGBT person now begins past two years, Tufts has reached out to gay
order to enrich students' personal the coming out process at 16, compared to students through college fairs.
development, perspectives, and real- the 1980’s when it was between 19 and 23.
While colleges have
world knowledge. While colleges have been According to the US Department of Health
been trying to recruit
trying to recruit students of different races and Human Services, 2.5 to three percent
for decades, they are now expanding their of the US population is LGBT. “Ten or more students of different
perspective of what true diversity entails. years ago, students were more hesitant to
races for decades, they
"Colleges are striving for what they see as come out during high school than they are
are now expanding their
one more element of their diversity," said now,” said Josh Boshoven, a former board
Lisa Sohmer, former board member of the director of the National Association for Col- perspective of what
National Association for College Admission lege Admission Counseling. true diversity entails.
Counseling and Director of College Coun-
seling at the Garden School in New York. As a result, many schools are now ad- The University of Southern California (CA)
LGBT students, due to their orientation, dressing this demographic directly. For has taken its outreach further than publica-
often have different hopes and struggles example, Dartmouth College (NH) added tions, college fairs and Web sites, offering
and a unique outlook on the world which LGBT community and/or gender identity college prep to local high school students
can contribute to college life. to the possible interests applicants can and allowing prospective students the op-
check off on its application supplement two portunity to experience life on the Rainbow
Miami University of Ohio freshman Katie admission seasons ago. “It lets us reach out Floor, an LGBT and allied special interest
Kass came out at age 14. By the time she to them earlier in the application process,” community. “We found that a lot of times
applied to college, she was comfortable said Senior Assistant Director of Admissions for LGBT students, they know about the
enough with her orientation to self-identify Caroline Kerr. She notes that Dartmouth campuses and the resources, but they don’t
her sexual orientation in her application. also started doing other outreach to LGBT really get a glimpse of them or they don’t
“LGBT-friendliness was a big factor when I applicants “in the last two to three years,” really get to experience them,” said Vincent
was looking for colleges,” said the 18-year- including a video chat for prospective Vigil, director of the USC LGBT Resource
old who graduated from Walnut Hills High students hosted by the chairs of the college’s Center. “We wanted to build components
School in Cincinnati, Ohio. To search for gay-straight alliance and participating in online, in paper form, but then also in real
colleges, Kass searched the Web site of college fairs sponsored by Campus Pride. life experiences where these students can
Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization Dartmouth also makes information about actually experience what it really means to
that aims to make the college environment LGBT resources available to all applicants be LGBT at a college or university and use
more LGBT-friendly. While Kass was not in case students aren’t comfortable enough USC as a backdrop for that.”
accepted to attend her first-choice college, to check the interest boxes. Explaining that
what attracted her to it was its large and this outreach continues their mission of Outreach does not end when students are
inclusive LGBT community. Kass is one diversity, she said, “I think ultimately the admitted to college. Rather, universities aim
of many students nationwide seeking col- outreach is consistent with the ways… we to convince the students to matriculate. At
leges that are more accepting of lesbian, reach out to other students whether that’s the University of Pennsylvania, admission
gay, bisexual, and transgender students. based on first-generation status or whether officers flag admits who write about com-
Many universities are not only acknowledg- that’s based on race and ethnicity and being ing out in their admission essays, are active
ing and providing for their LGBT students, part of a historically underrepresented members of their high school gay-straight
but in many cases, recruiting them. populations or whether that’s just based on alliances or otherwise mention their sexual
geography.” Benjamin Baum, an admissions identity in the application. The Lambda
This demographic is increasingly visible counselor at Tufts University (MA) agrees, Alliance, the on-campus LGBT coalition,
by college application time. According to a “This is one kind of diversity that we feel is then emails them about the gay commu-
study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task important to have on our campus.” In the nity at Penn. “It’s sort of an extra hook for
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why they should come to Penn,” said Taylor college fair. Our largest college fairs right as a white male, I figured that anything
Ernst, a junior and the chair of the Lambda now attract about 50 colleges and about that made me stand out would increase
Alliance. Cindy, a freshman at Penn self- 250 students and their families and those my chances of acceptance,” Barnett said.
identified in her application essay to show are the larger fairs like New York City and He was rejected at all four of the above
how much the LGBT resources meant to Boston,” he said. In addition, Campus Pride colleges except Columbia where he was
her. She was contacted by the members of has seen more interest in another resource wait-listed. Barnett’s guess was incorrect,
the Lambda Alliance. “For them to reach it provides for college bound students: the reinforcing Kerr’s claim that this aspect of
out just makes things easier and more Campus Climate Index. The online tool rates the application does not decide admission.
comfortable for everyone,” she said. Some colleges on a five star system on their LGBT-
schools even extend this level of comfort as friendliness based on a survey submitted by Just as schools don’t admit solely on LGBT
students take their first steps onto campus. colleges. When the tool was launched in self-identification, students don’t choose
Dartmouth, for example, gives the option of 2008, there were only 30 colleges on the schools solely on their LGBT services
requesting LGBT-friendly hosts during their index. Currently, about 250 colleges are on and sensitivity. However, many schools
admitted student weekend. the list. Colleges that are registered with the are working to create a comfortable and
index and attend LGBT-friendly college fairs accepting environment for the LGBT
The Common Application, which hundreds range from “name-brand” colleges like Har- students they do admit. For Kass, who
of colleges including Penn use, does not vard University (MA) to smaller colleges like self-identified in her application essay for
have any way to identify a person’s sexual Colby-Sawyer College (NH). the honors program at Miami, the decision
orientation or gender other than male or to matriculate came down to their generous
female. While applicants to Penn currently For some selective colleges that review ap- financial aid and viola program. After she
have to self-identify in order to be contact- plications holistically, the recruitment of made her college decision, she met a few
ed by Lambda, Ernst said he hopes that gay LGBT students extends into admission de- students involved in Spectrum, Miami’s
applicants will be able to check an optional cisions. “When we evaluate students, many queer organization. After one semester,
box, similar to ones that already exist for will self-identify as being LGBT in their Kass said she likes Miami even though she
race and ethnicity. “We are going to make applications. In our admission process, finds the majority of the community to be
it part of our priority to try to work with the we consider that as a type of diversity on unwelcoming to LGBT students. "I feel that
administration and the admission office to campus,” said Robbie McKnight, senior the biggest problem at Miami is a lack of
get that on the supplement,” he said. associate dean of admission at Emory discussion about queer issues," Kass said.
University (GA) “It’s an underrepresented "Spectrum does what it can to change that,
Steven Smith, chair of the GLBT Caucus, population to a degree and so when we but there's only so much good publicity we
which meets each spring as part of the Amer- make admission decisions, it is some- can make for ourselves," she added. Still,
ican Association of Collegiate Registrars and thing we would at least be aware of if Kass said she has found a home at Miami
Admission Officers, said, “The 2009–2010 they do choose to self-identify.” Kerr said through Spectrum which has enabled her
academic year was a landmark year in GLBT that at Dartmouth, LGBT status is con- to make many friends, be more open to the
student recruitment.” Clearly, recruitment sidered as it informs other parts of the community and enjoy Miami.
of this group is growing and services to stu- application. “It’s not us looking for sim-
dents are expanding. For example, Campus ply, is this box checked, yes or no, and
AmAndA young is a
Pride founder and executive director Shane that will drive the decision on the ap-
high school senior at
Windmeyer has used colleges’ interest in plication one way or another,” Kerr said. Cincinnati Country
creating a diverse class to grow his organiza- “It’s really looking to inform the rest.” Day School in Ohio.
She is co-editor-in-
tion from “an online Web site” in 2001 to
chief of her school’s
“a full-fledged nonprofit.” Student Matt Barnett didn’t self-identify as
online newspaper,
being gay on his application to Duke Univer- The Scroll. Amanda
Windmeyer began LGBT college fairs three sity (NC) where he is a freshman, but he did is also passionate
about art, specifically sculpture and mixed
years ago to support youth looking for on his applications to what he considered
media, as well as blogging. She maintains a
LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. “more liberal schools” like Penn, Brown WordPress multimedia blog on art and beauty,
“When we started, we were barely getting University (RI), Yale University (CT) and Co- Amanda’s Artistic Musings.
maybe 12 or 20 colleges coming out for our lumbia University (NY). “I did so because
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