Summer 2010: School’s Out, Equality’s In
Jul 4th
2010 has seen tremendous success for gender-neutral campus initiatives. Catalyzed by front-page coverage in the LA Times, Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other major media outlets, grassroots campaigns continue to grow nationwide. Over 50 colleges and universities now offer some form of gender-neutral rooming, and thanks to the pressure of student activists and the media coverage they’ve generated, schools like Goucher, Emerson, and Syracuse have joined the ranks, and a host of others — including Washington University in St. Louis, Grinnell, and Stanford — have expanded their previously successful pilot programs. Moreover, the range of institutions considering inclusive policy continues to broaden, as student leaders at William and Mary, the University of Oklahoma, and Duke are now rallying for policy change.
View our just-launched 2010 Campus Equality Index for a detailed progress update. This new report identifies 54 colleges and universities with inclusive policies, includes brief policy descriptions, and documents sources for further review.
The Front-Page of the LA Times
Mar 16th
In a front-page article on March 15, 2010, the Los Angeles Times explored the growing acceptance of mixed-gender rooms in California and throughout the country. The Times article covered a diverse cross-section of California colleges and universities—from the University of California-Berkeley to Harvey Mudd and Pitzer Colleges. Co-founder and Associate Director, Jeffrey Chang, was quoted: “College students are adults […] they have every single right to choose the person they feel most comfortable living with.” Several media outlets joined the conversation, including the Washington Post and the Huffington Post.