If You are Gay and Enrolling at Elmhurst College-They Want to Know
From left: Jordan Bartolazzi and Ally Vertigan listen to instructions for packing food during orientation week at Elmhurst College. TribLocal photo by Annemarie Mannion
Undergoing a flurry of orientation activities this week, the incoming crop of freshmen at Elmhurst College may not have noticed anything different about the school.
But senior Ally Vertigan did – and for her it was a historic change. Vertigan applauded the decision made public this week for the 140-year-old college to place a question about sexual orientation and gender identity on its undergraduate admissions application.
“I’m so proud of my college. I think this is a great step contextually, within the nation,” said Vertigan who noted that she “identifies within the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community.”
The school’s 2012/2013 application for admission includes the question: “Would you consider yourself a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community?” It is believed that Elmhurst College is the first in the nation to ask a question about sexual orientation.
It is optional to answer, and college officials said their goal in asking it is to increase diversity at the school and increase the number of LGBT students at the school – a demographic for which they currently have no solid number.
Creating diversity is an important mission for the school affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
“If we can help students better understand and work with people that are different from them then I think we will have done something important,” said Gary Rold, dean of admissions.
But Jordon Bartolazzi, a sophomore, pondered and chose his words carefully as he said he is somewhat concerned that asking the question might make some students feel left out.
“I love that we (are) so inclusive,” he said. “But sometimes we try to be so liberal and then if you’re conservative then the conservative feels outcast.”
The school receives about 3,000 applications a year and accepts about 65 percent of those. Rold said the school has never collected any information about LGBT students, such as what majors they choose or sports they play. But they do so with other demographic groups, so asking the question about sexual orientation and gender identity will help the college get a better handle on what LGBT want from their college experience. He said student interests affect greatly what the college offers including majors and extracurricular activities.
“Football players wouldn’t come here if we don’t have a football team,” he said. “This has greater emotional charge to it. But it’s in the same continuum.”
Rold said the college began thinking about how to increase enrollment of LGBT students about six months ago after they were approached by the school’s chapter of Straights and Gays for Equality, which wanted to have a college recruitment fair.
“We said, “It’s not an active recruitment area for us,” said Rold. “But we got to thinking about more active recruitment. It made us very aware that these kids are looking for a home.”
The question is one of several optional questions the college asks covering topics such as religious affiliation, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and others.
“Just as we’ve identified those groups and channeled them resources, we think it’s appropriate to do that with the LGBT community as well,” said Rold.
Shane Windmeyer of Campus Pride, a non-profit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create safer college environments for LGBT students, said he is pleased with the college’s decision to ask the question.
“It sends a message of acceptance. It sends a message of support,” he said.
Students packing food for a non-profit as part of an orientation activity Thursday generally embraced the college’s decision to ask the question particularly because it is optional to answer.
“If it’s optional that’s all right,” said Lauren Grimm, a sophomore. “If it was mandatory, that would be ridiculous.”
Vertigan said asking the question will spur dialogue about what it means to be diverse.
“Being diverse is more than just being racially diverse,” she said. “I think we need to remember that.”
http://triblocal.com/elmhurst
Comments