Other Title
Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students
Document Type
Report
Date of Original Version
2012
Keywords
LGBT; University of Rhode Island; Campus; Protest; Academic History
Disciplines
Education
Audience
General Users
Format
Text
Format Data
Language
English
Publisher
Seattle University
Abstract
This paper describes and analyzes a crisis at the University of Rhode Island. The university had a reputation as a very homophobic campus, and some students and staff felt that the administration was not doing enough to combat harassment and discrimination. For eight consecutive days in September 2010, ten students occupied a space in the campus library, demanding that the university enact specific measures to improve the campus climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students. This paper presents how the crisis unfolded, details the university’s response, and offers a critique of the response.