Gender and Sexuality Center

OU recognized as one of Campus Pride’s 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ for LGBTQ+ students

icon of a calendarAugust 29, 2022

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OU recognized as one of Campus Pride’s 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ for LGBTQ+ students
OU recognized as one of Campus Pride’s 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ for LGBTQ+ students
Oakland University has been recognized as one of Campus Pride’s 2022 ‘Best of the Best’ for LGBTQ+ students.

Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education, recently announced the annual Best of the Best Colleges and Universities for LGBTQ+ students in the United States, naming Oakland University to this year’s list of campuses creating a safe, welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff alike.

Blake Bonkowski, coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Center at OU
Blake Bonkowski

“We are thrilled to be named one of the Campus Pride’s Best of the Best for the first time,” said Blake Bonkowski, coordinator of the Gender and Sexuality Center at Oakland University. “We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and faculty over several decades which has culminated in this amazing achievement.”

The full list of campuses featured in this year’s Best of the Best can be found at http://campuspride.org/BestoftheBest.

“Campus Pride created the Best of the Best List to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these colleges and universities, creating safer, more welcoming campuses for LGBTQ+ people,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride executive director. “Students, prospective students, and their families, along with faculty and staff members, deserve to know whether they will be safe on campus, so they can make the best choices for their own academic success — and by creating inclusive, safe environments these colleges are taking responsibility for all students.”

The announcement from Campus Pride features 40 four-year campuses from across the country. These campuses have achieved five out of five stars on the Campus Pride Index (CPI), the definitive national benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs, and practices.

To earn a ranking of five out of five stars, campuses receive a percentage score from 90 to 100 based on their LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs, and practices. The methodology to determine this year’s Best of the Best List was based on an overall score of 93 percent or higher.

“We are seeing more and more colleges earn five stars because campuses are doing more to support their trans students,” said Dr. Genny Beemyn, the coordinator of Campus Pride's Trans Policy Clearinghouse. “While all colleges can and should do more to be trans-inclusive, many institutions are taking important steps forward.”

“The work Campus Pride does every day to foster safer, more welcoming campuses across the country is creating positive change for students, staff, and faculty, as this year’s Best of the Best list reflects that with 40 colleges represented, up from 30 last year,” said Tom Elliott, Campus Pride board chair. “At a time when LGBTQ+ rights and other civil rights are under assault in states across the country, including Texas and Florida, it is as important as ever to recognize the campuses in these states working to create spaces where the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders can learn and flourish.”

The Campus Pride Index full listing of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities is available at https://www.campusprideindex.org/.

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