Four Michigan schools listed among top gay-friendly universities in the nation

According to the 2011 Campus Pride Climate Index, four Michigan universities are among the top gay-friendly schools in the nation.
Eastern Michigan Univeristy, the University of Michigan, Western Michigan and Grand Valley State University each earned a 4.5 star rating or higher on the index's list. Nationally, only 33 universities across the country received a perfect rating of five stars this year.
"We are incredibly proud of our Campus Climate ranking," said Mary Larkin, EMU's LGBT Resource Center program coordinator. "The assessment provides us an opportunity to really look at the programs, events and services that we offer to our LGBT students and allies. In order to maintain this ranking, we must continually strive to educate our campus community to create and sustain an inclusive environment."
The Campus Climate Index ranks nearly 300 public colleges and universities based on policies, programs and practices related to inclusion and friendliness. Each college fills out a voluntary survey submitted to Campus Pride.
Campus Pride, which was founded in 2001, is the leading national nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students.
"Campus Pride's Index is the only one of its kind," said Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer, an author, speaker and researcher on LGBT campus issues. "Unlike other, commercially-driven rankings, our ratings are done for and by LGBT people and set in a foundation of solid research practice."
Campus Pride's 2010 State of Higher Education, a report documenting the experiences of more than 5,000 college students, faculty, staff and administrators, showed that only seven percent of universities nationwide have institutional support for LGBT students.
"According to our national research, more than a third of transgender and 13 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students, faculty and staff fear for their physical safety on campuses across the U.S.," Windmeyer says. "As a result, more than a third of these students and faculty have seriously considered leaving their school. We must do better."
For more information on Campus Pride's Campus Climate Index, visit http://www.campusclimateindex.org.