SMU makes ‘LGBT-unfriendly’ list again

SMU was ranked the No.12 most "LGBT-unfriendly" campus in the country, according to a recent report from the Princeton Review. This number is up four spots, from No. 16, just a couple of years ago.

LGBT administration, faculty, students and allies at SMU feel as if the Princeton Review does not accurately portray the campus' most recent developments.

Another concern is that people will take this report seriously, when in fact the Princeton Review bases this ranking on student's responses to the LGBT community.

"I worry that people believe this review is valid," David Chard, dean of the Simmons School of Education, said. "We don't judge your [student's] academic abilities on your grade in statistics."

Meadows School of the Arts graduate admissions coordinator, Joe Hoselton, better known as Jenna Skyy in the LGBT community, finds the survey amusing.

"It's humorous that it is given as much weight as it is given solely because it says ‘Princeton,'" he said. "The reality of one question is such a narrow scope, and it's given such a powerful ranking blows me away that it would even be taken seriously."

Baylor University, a Baptist school in Waco, Texas, did not make the list this year. In the last report from the Princeton Review, Baylor ranked at No. 11.

"It was shocking to see Baylor off the list when SMU has a non-discriminatory policy," Harvey Luna, co-president of Spectrum, a LGBT organization at SMU, said.

Of the approximately 400 colleges included in the Princeton Review's annual survey, SMU is one of the few schools included on the list that has a non-discrimination policy that protects members of the LGBT community.

"There are live-in domestic partner benefits through Residence Life and Student Housing," ally of the LGBT community, Karen Click, who is also the director of the Women's Center for Gender and Pride Initiatives, said. "The Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual communities are afforded protections in the university's statement of non-discrimination."

As a private university, SMU is one of the only colleges in Texas to uphold this policy.

"The Board of Trustees understood that if they wanted to recruit the best faculty, they needed to include sexual orientation in their anti- discrimination policy," Chard said.

While the Princeton Review ranks SMU as one of the most "homophobic" colleges in the country, the Campus Pride review gave SMU four out of five stars for LGBT acceptance.

One factor that may influence the results of each review is that the Princeton Review is sent to students while Campus Pride is sent to administration.

"Campus Pride is one of the best surveys to determine which campus is truly LGBT friendly," Luna said. "The Princeton Review is misleading."

Click said that "most areas on campus are doing great work," and Campus Pride recognized that.

"It provided us with feedback on what areas need to be explored further," she said. "It's just a matter of fine-tuning our roles."

LGBT students appreciate the improvements made on campus.

"SMU is progressive and it makes us feel welcome," Michael Graves, SMU sophomore, said.

                Location

Texas is the only state with three schools on the list, two of which are in Dallas ⎯ SMU and the University of Dallas, which ranked No. 9. Texas A&M ranked No. 10.

Many members of the LGBT community at SMU believe SMU's location affected the rankings in the Princeton Review.

With multiple organizations and events at SMU, Click finds campus to be LGBT friendly. However, she realizes SMU is "not a bubble."

"We are reflective of the environment in which we are located," she said " Of course there is homophobia here. However, the difference at SMU is the support provided in acknowledgment in that."

"We live in the part of the country that has been historically socially conservative," Chard said. "Many people grow up in communities where they do not get to interact openly with gay or lesbian students."

For many of SMU students, college is the first time when they meet members of the LGBT community. Or, college is the first time students are open about their sexual orientation.

"Often times when things are unfamiliar to us, we don't know how to accept them," Chard said.

President of College Republicans Chad Cohen believes SMU's reputation, as a "homophobic" school, is a direct impact of being in Texas, specifically situated in Highland Park.