Although NYU prides itself on being gay friendly, a recent report found the university could do more.
In the 2010 Campus Pride Climate Index, NYU received an overall score of four out of five stars. The campus scored well with its LGBT inclusion policies, but was ultimately hindered by low scores for campus safety and housing and residential life.
In particular, Campus Pride deducted points for the lack of LGBT specific scholarships and housing options at NYU.
However, in its most recent rankings, The Princeton Review placed NYU as the country's third most LGBT-friendly school.
Director for NYU's Office of LGBT Student Services Monroe France was pleased with the ranking.
"I think in general we did pretty well," France said. He added that the university might have received its highest scores for inclusion policies because of its non-discrimination policy.
"Our non-discrimination policy includes … gender expression, which means you can't be discriminated against as staff or student based on gender identity as well as expression," he said.
France said the university is working on several policies to improve housing and residence life for LGBT students.
"I do know that there are particular issues we're working on related to gender housing placement," he said. "So we're still working as a collective … to review those policies and to figure out places we can make stronger as it relates to gender identity."
He said the university might have received a lower score on LGBT campus safety and security because of its urban location.
"The city is our campus, so that affects how students perceive safety," he said. "I think the other thing that directly impacted that [score] was whether our office specifically did training with our Public Safety staff, and at this time we really don't, but we're hoping to see that change in the future."
Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization, developed the star ranking system, which is based on progress for LGBT-friendly policies, programs and practices, in 2001.
Campus Pride's executive director Shane Windmeyer said participating colleges typically have an administrator oversee the institution's 55-question self-assessment.
"Once they're done completing the assessment, we review the results and then we send them back a 15-page confidential report and they have the choice of whether to 'come out' as a college," Windmeyer said. Some institutions choose not to release their assessments.
"Every campus, they ask their students to come out, they ask their faculty to come out. Well, in 2010, we're asking colleges to come out as LGBT-friendly to create more progress and to highlight the positive efforts that have been happening on our college campuses," Windmeyer said.
Windmeyer added he, LGBT researchers and Debbie Bazarsky, director of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, developed the ranking system and assessment as a tool for institutions of higher education, current students and prospective students.
"The Campus Climate Index was developed as a way for colleges and universities to really benchmark how progressive and how safe their campus is when it comes to LGBT," he said. "It's [also] a way for high school students, prospective students to search for colleges online, based on how the college self-asses itself [in terms of LGBT]."
"The ranking wasn't as important to me," France said. "What is important to me is that students have a sense of what the available services and policies are for their universities."
CAS senior Emma Kies DeGrand is involved with Campgrrl, a group for queer women. Though DeGrand was happy with many of the LGBT office's programs, she thought the university could promote the groups better.
"I guess NYU would be a more LGBTQ-friendly place if more people were aware of the LGBT office, and what it has to offer," DeGrand said. "From T-Party, the bi-weekly group for transgender students and allies, to Shades, for queer students of color and allies, there are plenty of groups that always welcome new members."
