Trinity College has again been recognized as a top LGBTQ-friendly institution, earning a rating of 5 out of 5 stars on the Campus Pride Index for the third year in a row.
The Campus Pride Index is an independent national database assessing the LGBTQ inclusiveness of colleges and universities across the country. Since Trinity began participating in the index more than 10 years ago, the College’s rating has steadily increased from 3.5 to 5. Trinity is one of only 30 campuses nationwide with a score of 5 this year.
Crystal Nieves ’08, M’23, Trinity’s director of LGBTQ+ life, said that the annual Campus Pride Index survey looks at a college’s policies, programs, and services for the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
Nieves said that Campus Pride scores colleges on its LGBTQ-friendliness index. “It essentially asks, ‘How prepared is your campus to not only welcome LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff, but also to help them to thrive there?’” Nieves said.
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Anita A. Davis said, “When one member of our community thrives, we all thrive. I am incredibly proud of the work that we as a campus are collectively doing to ensure LGBTQ+ members of our community feel a sense of belonging. Crystal’s leadership has been instrumental to our receiving this recognition for the past three years.”
A Campus Pride Index score of 5 means that a campus is following best practices in the field, Nieves said. “The score condenses all of the survey’s measurements down into an accessible report card,” she added.
A college’s report card includes housing options, information about clubs and student groups, leadership opportunities, and other resources for support, like Trinity’s Queer Resource Center (QRC), Nieves said. “Queer and trans students and their parents want to know they will feel safe, welcomed, and included. That’s why tools like Campus Pride Index are so important,” she said.
Trinity’s score this year reflects the newest resources offered by the College. “In the past year, we’ve launched a peer mentorship program, which matches first-year students with upper-year mentors, to ease the transition into college and give them a connection to LGBTQ+ life on campus,” Nieves said. “The program is also for allies, so this initiative makes sure everyone has access.”
Along with its slate of programming and events offered throughout the year, the QRC holds a mixer during New Student Orientation. “It goes a long way to help students feel like they belong here, and they can find connection in their first few days on campus,” Nieves said.
“We’ve used the Campus Pride Index to guide us, but we’re being proactive and thinking beyond it,” Nieves added. For example, with the recent addition of the Scully Center and the reopening of Trinfo, Trinity has reached 80 percent of campus buildings that include at least one all-gender restroom. “That’s well past the best practices standard of only 50 percent,” Nieves said.
The QRC has a robust calendar of events for Queer History Month this October and for the rest of the year ahead. “We’ve done a lot to build community; a goal for this year is to expand collaborative opportunities for campus engagement,” Nieves said. “Even with this national recognition, we know there is more work to be done to foster a stronger sense of belonging for all, including members of our LGBTQ+ community.”
Learn more about the Queer Resource Center and LGBTQ+ life at Trinity here.
