UC Riverside Named Among 100 Best Campuses for LGBT Students

(August 11, 2006)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The University of California, Riverside has been recognized as one of the nation's best campuses for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students.The university is featured in The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, the first comprehensive campus guide to highlight the 100 most LGBT-friendly campuses in the United States.

UC Riverside was recognized for its positive environment, programs and services, and groundbreaking history.

The university was the first college campus in California to open a staffed LGBT resource center in California in 1993 and the first California campus to establish an LGBT Studies minor in 1996. In 2005, UC Riverside became the first public institution in the nation to offer a gender-neutral housing option to every student, allowing students to choose roommates regardless of biological sex or gender identity.

UCR Chancellor, France Cordova said UCR’s inclusion in the guide is encouraging.”Our goal is to provide all of our students with successful undergraduate and graduate experiences This recognition means we are succeeding.”

Students, staff and faculty all contribute to the welcoming environment at UCR, according to LGBT Resource Center Director Nancy Jean Tubbs.

“The LGBT Resource Center presented over 170 events, trainings, and programs last academic year,” said Tubbs. “But it’s the active involvement of the wider LGBT campus community and our many straight Allies that makes UCR such a friendly place for all students.”

UCR student organizations include Queer Alliance, organizers of the annual Dragalicious Drag Ball and high school outreach event Pride Prom; and Queer Conference Committee, organizers of the 17th Western Regional LGBTQIA College Conference in February 2007 (www.comeoutwest.org). The LGBT Resource Center also hosts weekly peer discussion groups for students, including Fluidity, Grrrl Talk and Guy Talk.

Other notable UCR programs include the Allies Safe Zone Program, Peer Connections Mentoring Program, Q-Camp, Trans Day of Remembrance Display, Winter Student Leadership Retreat, Pride Week, and the Lambda Awards and Celebration. In 2006, the LGBT Resource Center also opened a David Bohnett CyberCenter.

“Hopefully, the Advocate College Guide will help more high school students learn about UCR,” said Noah Silas, a Resident Advisor for Stonewall Hall last year. Stonewall Hall is UCR’s LGBT and Allies residential living community.

Released Aug. 1, The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students profiles 100 colleges and universities from across the country that offer resources and create a positive living and learning environment for LGBT students.

Campus PrideNet, the leading national organization for LGBT and ally student leaders, with support from a team of expert LGBT professionals from the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education, developed the criteria and a questionnaire for nominations to gather feedback from current LGBT students, faculty and staff regarding personal experiences and opinions about their campus.

After receiving nominations from 680 campuses and conducting more than 5,500 online interviews, 100 campuses were selected for the book based on institutional policies, commitment and support, academic life, housing, student life, counseling and health services, campus safety, and recruitment and retention efforts.The list of 100 is broken down in multiple indexes such as region, state, type of institution and size.Individual campus profiles include information on size, tuition, admission application deadlines, gay-affirmative policies, events, LGBT student groups and resources, housing for LGBT students and more.

"The top 100 colleges and universities profiled in The Advocate College Guide lead the way for the rest of higher education to be LGBT-friendly.These campuses take to heart the value of supporting all students What better way for a campus to come out as LGBT-Friendly?" said Shane L. Windmeyer, executive director of Campus PrideNet and author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.

For more information about Campus PrideNet or to order a copy of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, visit www.campuspride.net. For more information about campus life for LGBT students, visit www.out.ucr.edu or call 951.827.2267.

The University of California, Riverside is a major research institution. Key areas of research include nanotechnology, health science, genomics, environmental studies, digital arts and sustainable growth and development. With a current undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 16,600, the campus is projected to grow to 21,000 students by 2010. Located in the heart of Inland Southern California, the nearly 1,200-acre, park-like campus is at the center of the region's economic development. Visit www.ucr.edu or call 951-UCR-NEWS for more information. Media sources are available at www.mediasources.ucr.edu.

News Media Contact:
Name: Celeste Durant
Phone: 951.827.7847
Email: celeste.durant@ucr.edu