ELMHURST, Ill. (AP) – Gary Rold didn’t necessarily consider himself a pioneer when he decided that Elmhurst College would begin asking applicants about their sexual orientation.
“I thought from the recruitment standpoint we might be more proactive” in attracting gay and lesbian students, said Rold, admissions dean at the small, private liberal arts school tucked in a middle-class Chicago suburb. He also wanted to make sure the students got any help they needed. “I realized that many of them come to college feeling really isolated and alienated.”
Rold’s decision touched off a flurry of publicity after advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students lauded Elmhurst as the first in the nation to ask applicants about sexual orientation – an idea that has gotten little traction elsewhere. Now the question is, will other colleges follow suit?
Advocates say that besides being a recruiting tool to help diversify campuses, openly assessing a school’s LGBT population would make colleges more aware of needs such as finding tolerant roommates and providing appropriate health care. And it would send a positive message to prospective students who may have faced discrimination in high school.
(AP) In this photo taken Sept. 22, 2011, Elmhurst College student student Ally Vertigan speaks during an…
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But officials at other colleges, especially those that are large and well-known, say they don’t need to ask because they already have reputations for being diverse and inclusive, and a student’s sexual orientation would have no bearing on admission. Others wonder if some schools worry about the controversy such a question might generate.
Nevertheless, the idea of asking about sexual orientation is not likely to go away.
“Colleges have a responsibility to take care of students they admit so all can succeed academically; a lot of (LGBT) youth get to campuses … and are largely invisible,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of the national advocacy group Campus Pride, who said asking applicants about sexual orientation should be as common as questions about race and ethnicity.
His group pushed for adding the question to The Common Application – a uniform document used by more than 450 colleges and universities, including some of the nation’s most exclusive – but that group’s board of directors rejected the idea earlier this year.
Schools already had other ways to signal support for LGBT students and for students to indicate their sexual orientation, said Rob Killion, executive director of The Common Application. What’s more, some admissions officers and high school counselors worried the question could cause anxiety for some students, even though it would be optional.
via My Way News – Most colleges not ready to ask about LGBT status.
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