logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

University of Miami to Develop Gender-Inclusive Housing

Gayle Nelson
September 17, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Miami-University-housing

September 11, 2015; Miami New Times

Currently, there are 197 colleges and universities with gender-inclusive housing. Last week, the University of Miami announced a plan to join them. Gender-inclusive housing is one of the top items LGBTQ students look for in a perspective college or university. Although the number of schools providing these dorms is growing, many states still do not have any secondary institutions providing living options that support these students’ needs.

The University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, Florida, boasts eleven schools serving more than 16,000 students. It was established in 1925 and currently advances over $330 million in research projects and programs, mainly in medicine, marine science, engineering, education, and psychology. In the 2015 U.S. News & World Report “Best College” listings, the university was ranked one of the top 51 universities in the country.  But in the Campus Pride Index, the university ranked last compared to its peers in the top 50 schools when it comes to creating an environment that welcomes LGBTQ students.

For seven years, Campus Pride, a nonprofit providing services and leadership development for gender-nonconforming students, has researched and published a voluntary ranking of colleges and universities. Each year, the number of schools participating has grown, as have the number of LGBTQ students on campuses. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, the median age an individual first feels they may not be heterosexual is now 12; they know “for sure” at age 17, and the median age they come out is 20. According to Campus Pride’s research, LGBTQ-inclusive housing and gender-neutral bathrooms are among the top ten features LGBTQ students look for in a welcoming campus.

The University of Miami’s new college president, Dr. Julio Frenk, is determined to lift the school’s Campus Pride Index ranking. In his first town hall meeting, he introduced a plan to develop gender-neutral university housing. “Gender-inclusive” housing, or “housing tailored to the needs of LGBTQ students” is defined as living opportunities allowing students to have a roommate of any gender. The University of Miami already allows students who choose each other to live together regardless of their gender. Once the dorms open, the university will join four other Florida institutions: University of Central Florida, New College, University of Southern Florida, and University of Northern Florida in offering dorms supporting LGBTQ students.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

The announcement follows an open letter written to the new president by University of Miami alumnus Ryan Aquilina. In his letter, Aquilina calls on the university to create a more friendly campus for all students, including LGBTQ ones. In the university’s own survey completed last year, three out of ten LGBTQ students reported not feeling safe on campus. The school also lacks comprehensive LGBTQ nondiscriminatory policies. Additionally, it is one of only five of the top 50 universities without a resource center or any dedicated professional resources for LGBTQ students and one of only 15 without gender-neutral housing.

Further, a report by the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, published by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, outlines the hurdles many transgender college students face. Eleven percent reported being rejected for or the inability to receive financial aid or scholarships due to their gender identity or expression. Almost one in five study participants reported colleges refusing to provide housing tailored to their needs. And once the student begins college, the challenges continue, including an inability to access health insurance or change their names on university records.

Campus Pride’s cofounder and executive director, Shane Windmeyer, believes that universities and colleges want to be welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ students but they often lack knowledge of their needs. Less than five years ago, Elmhurst College in Illinois became the first college or university to add questions about sexual orientation to their college admission materials.

While many universities and colleges are developing policies welcoming to all students, the University of North Carolina system banned gender-neutral housing in 2013. The policy blocks students of opposite genders from living in the same dorm suite or apartment. It stemmed from a proposed 32-space pilot program at the Chapel Hill campus.

Most universities offering policies and campuses welcoming and creating a safer environment for all students are located in urban or progressive areas of the country. But just as LGBTQ students live across the country, all universities must offer environments of learning that are open to all.—Gayle Nelson

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
About the author
Gayle Nelson

Gayle Nelson, Esq is a leader responsible for raising millions of dollars for diverse nonprofit organizations. Since over three quarters of revenue flows from individuals, Gayle begins her work expanding organizational capacity by coaching leadership on development best practices and engaging new volunteers. In addition, she reaches out to major and younger donors planning exciting events and increasing visibility utilizing crowdfunding, social media tools, and traditional media outlets. With a strong network and knowledge of philanthropy, Gayle coaches organizations of various sizes on opportunities to increase revenue from Donor Advised Funds (DAF) and planned giving vehicles as well as public and private foundations. Additionally, she often writes proposals funding new programs and develops earned income revenue streams. As an attorney, Gayle is also an advocate, partnering with nonprofits to enhance their relationships with government leaders to pinpoint community need and promote agency services. And, to ensure activities lead to thriving organizations and long-term sustainable growth, Gayle utilizes her financial acumen to partner with Boards and finance staff to build comprehensive program and agency budgets. Finally, she is a highly respected speaker on diverse topics including shifting government funding, succession planning, and inter-generational board/volunteer engagement.

More about: colleges and universitiesHigher EducationLGBTQ+ RightsNonprofit NewsTrans/nonbinary issues

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

Spring-2023-sidebar-subscribe
You might also like
Student Loans Update: What You Need to Know
Marian Conway
Solidarity on Campus: A Faculty Union’s Learnings from COVID-19
Todd Wolfson
How Environmental Education Is Moving into High Schools
Ayana Albertini-Fleurant, Dr. Janelle M. Burke, Kari Fulton, Joe Hurst and Ariel Murphy Bedford
To Save Legal Aid, Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Zoë Polk
A Movement for Free College
Alí Bustamante
My Learning Process Toward a Real Solidarity Economy
Esther Minju Choi

NPQ Webinars

April 27th, 2 pm ET

Liberatory Decision-Making

How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes

Register Now
You might also like
Student Loans Update: What You Need to Know
Marian Conway
Solidarity on Campus: A Faculty Union’s Learnings from...
Todd Wolfson
How Environmental Education Is Moving into High Schools
Ayana Albertini-Fleurant, Dr. Janelle M. Burke, Kari Fulton, Joe Hurst and Ariel Murphy Bedford

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

NPQ-Spring-2023-cover

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.