Well, although we can hold our own on the academic standards side of things, in this case I mean Gay Point Average. I saw in the New York Times today*, in an article by Stephanie Rosenbloom, that USC and UPenn both scored the highest possible score (20 out of 20) for their “campuses policies, programs and practices affecting lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trangender people”. This was in the Advocate College Guide for LGBT students. This is just great!
Please read the article, which is very interesting indeed, discussing several campuses throughout the USA. I’ll simply end with the closing paragraph, which sums up the response to the “why” question that might be forming in some minds. It quotes Kevin Jennings, the executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network:
“When people feel included they can focus on learning,†Mr. Jennings of the education network said. “When they feel isolated and marginalized they can’t. And what LGBT students want is what everyone else wants when they go to college: They want to feel like they belong.â€
-cvj
(*Thanks Caolionn!)
Aaron… that is indeed an excellent point. I should have spotted it. Odd place to put it, but sadly, not surprising…..
-cvj
Very cool! And I can’t say I’m not flattered that U of M made the top twenty. ^_^ However, I’m a little annoyed that the Times article is in the “Fashion & Style” section. WTF? I guess I should be happy that the story shows up in the “Education” section too, but still — why does a college guide become a fashion accessory when gay people use it? If someone got beaten to death on a college campus for being queer, would that be “Fashion & Style” as well?
It is new apparently…….
-cvj
Interesting. I didn’t know The Advocate published a college guide. I wonder how many high school libraries own it?