Four of the state’s most LGBTQ-friendly colleges also feature on BestAccredited Colleges’ top 10 LGBTQ-friendly college ranking. The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Ithaca College, Kansas State University and University of New Hampshire are among them.

Best Colleges compiled data available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Campus Pride’s Index Score to map out the most LGBTQ-friendly institutions. Best College’s methodology ranking system utilized NCES data and focused primarily on academic quality and college affordability. For academic quality, BestColleges analyzed institutions’ rates in admission, enrollment, retention and graduation. For college affordability, it assessed the percentage of students taking out loans to the average loan default rate. This data is then blended with Campus Pride’s index score, which evaluates its metrics for institutions’ LGBTQ-friendly policy, institutional commitment, academic Life, housing, counseling and other factors.

If a state’s most accommodating institution for LGBTQ+ students—according to BestCollege’s evaluation—did not garner at least four stars out of five from Campus Pride Index, BestColleges did not include a college for the state.

More from UB: 5 reasons fewer students may be going to college this year

• Alabama: University of Alabama (4.5 stars)
• Alaska: n/a
• Arkansas: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2.5 stars)
• Arizona: Northern Arizona University (4.5 stars)
• California: San Diego State University (5 stars)
• Colorado: University of Colorado Boulder (5 stars)
• Connecticut: Connecticut College (4.5 stars)
• District of Columbia: American University (no score given)
• Delaware: University of Delaware (no score given)
• Florida: University of North Florida (5 stars)
• Georgia: Emory University (4 stars)
• Hawaii: n/a
• Iowa: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: Cornell College (1 star)
• Idaho: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: The College of Idaho (2.5 stars)
• Illinois: Northern Illinois University (5 stars)
• Indiana: Purdue University (5 stars)
• Kansas: Kansas State University (5 stars)
• Kentucky: University of Louisville (5 stars)
• Louisiana: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: Louisiana State University (2.5 stars)
• Massachusetts: Tufts University (5 stars)
• Maryland: University of Maryland (5 stars)
• Maine: University of Maine at Farmington (4.5 stars)
• Michigan: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (5 stars)
• Minnesota: Macalester College (5 stars)
• Missouri: Washington University in St. Louis (5 stars)
• Mississippi: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: University of Mississippi (3 stars)
• Montana: Montana State University – Bozeman (4 stars)
• North Carolina: Elon University (5 stars)
• North Dakota: University of North Dakota (4 stars)
• Nebraska: University of Nebraska Kearney (5 stars)
• Nevada: University of Nevada Las Vegas (no score given)
• New Hampshire: University of New Hampshire (4.5 stars)
• New Jersey: Princeton University (no score given)
• New Mexico: University of New Mexico (no score given)
• New York: Ithaca College (5 stars)
• Ohio: Ohio State University (5 stars)
• Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma (4 stars)
• Oregon: Portland State University (no score given)
• Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania (5 stars)
• Rhode Island: Brown University (no score given)
• South Carolina: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: College of Charleston (3.5 stars)
• South Dakota: n/a
  • School with the highest index score: South Dakota State University (3 stars)
• Tennessee: Vanderbilt University (no score given)
• Texas: University of Texas at Dallas (5 stars)
• Utah: University of Utah (no score given)
• Virginia: Virginia Wesleyan University (5 stars)
• Vermont: University of Vermont (5 stars)
• Washington: University of Washington (no score given)
• Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire (5 stars)
• West Virginia: West Virginia University (4.5 stars)
• Wyoming: n/a

The post Here is every state’s most LGBTQ-friendly college appeared first on University Business.

Here are University Business’ top 10 higher education stories for 2022:

These 13 new colleges are among the ‘absolute worst’ for LGBTQ students
Labeled as unsafe and unwelcoming, they join the Campus Pride list of nearly 200 institutions that ‘discriminate and perpetuate harm.’
Read the story.

Republican senator draws jeers at Wyoming commencement after comment on gender
Though her early words were welcomed with applause—“The world needs more cowboys”—her comment on the two sexes did not sit well with some in the Wyoming community, which has made deep inroads to provide a welcoming and safe atmosphere for all students, led by its Rainbow Resource Center on campus.
Read the story.

No-confidence votes pass against 3 presidents, including Sonoma State’s Sakaki
The president of Cal State Los Angeles is also under fire for his alleged inaction after a faculty member and Black Lives Matter leader was removed from an event by campus police.
Read the story.

Students’ top 10 most-regretted majors have everything to do with one issue
What’s as noteworthy as the majors on this list is that nearly half of all current job seekers regret they chose their field of study, a new survey says.
Read the story.

College rankings list has a new No. 1 and a few outliers in its Top 50
Endowments, test scores and selectivity are included in College Raptor’s Top 50 list, but net cost is also a factor.
Read the story.

He’s out: MSU President Samuel Stanley to leave post two months early
Stanley announced his resignation on Oct. 13, citing “lost confidence” in the board of trustees amid several controversies.
Read the story.

Are these the 53 most beautiful campuses in the country?
Bucolic. Stately. Pristine. Iconic. Beautiful. Those are among the many doting words that the editors at Architectural Digest have used to describe what they consider to be the 53 Prettiest College Campuses in America for 2022.
Read the story.

Enrollment update: Clear winners are emerging from pack early this fall
While others struggle, two big public universities are among a group savoring an abundance of new students.
Read the story.

With only one president candidate left, this Florida search committee nominated him
Did increased legislation affecting higher education in the state force qualified leaders to back down from contention?
Read the story.

College rankings war heats up as Washington Monthly releases lists, calls out U.S. News
Stanford University ranks No. 1 overall with few surprises in its top 10, but many more will look different as the publication focuses on social mobility.
Read the story.

The post Here are the top 10 higher education stories of 2022 appeared first on University Business.

Each year, his organization releases its “Best List” of institutions striving to promote and foster positive and welcoming environments for students from all groups, regardless of sexual orientation, gender or religion. And it also releases its “Worst List”, which this year includes 13 new ones at a time when polarization and aggression against gay, lesbian, transgender and nonbinary students have reached a fever pitch.

“The growing anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on youth across the country makes the release of this year’s Worst List even more crucial and timely, shining a harsh spotlight on the religion-based bias, bigotry and discrimination happening on these campuses,” Windmeyer said. “All students deserve a college experience where they are welcomed and fully embraced to live, learn and grow – including LGBTQ+ students. The Worst List campuses are unsafe, unwelcoming. All youth and families should be warned and fully aware that these 193 campuses on the Worst List openly discriminate and perpetuate harm.”

He says those institutions are becoming more intentional in trying to tamp down speech and actions of the LBGTQ+ community on their campuses. Campus Pride notes that close to two-thirds have updated policies including codes of conduct, with seven of them “receiving a Title IX religious exemption from the U.S. Department of Education to openly discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.” Many of the rest, Campus Pride reveals, are ignoring Title IX by not accepting funds from the federal government.

The new list includes the 4,900-student Pensacola Christian College in Florida and headline-making Hillsdale College in Michigan all the way down to small Christendom College in Virginia and even smaller Gutenberg College in Oregon (20 students), all of whom refuse that Title IX funding, with Campus Pride noting that Hillsdale has “demonstrated history of anti-LGBTQ+ language.” Under each of the colleges and universities that appear, Campus Pride offers examples of why they consider them the worst. For example, one of the reasons for inclusion of Palm Beach Atlantic University is its stance on gay marriage and its additional policy within its View of Human Sexuality statement: “PBA expects that their students, faculty, and staff will neither engage in nor promote views of sexuality or gender expression that contradicts biblical standards.”

More from UB: Report: Gag orders impacting education jump 250% this year

The others all have less than 1,500 in enrollments, with many under 100: Grace College in Indiana; Lincoln Christian University in Illinois; Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin; Northwest University in Washington; Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America and San Diego Christian College in California; Wyoming Catholic College; and Yeshiva Toras Chaim Talmudical Seminary of Denver.

They join a wide-ranging list of institutions, including some of the biggest and well-known in America–Baylor University, Brigham Young University, Yeshiva University and Seattle Pacific University, which became a focal point this summer for LBGTQ+ rights as students held a monthlong sit-in and handed out pride flags to its president. SPU’s policies caught the eye of Washington’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson, whose state launched an investigation and was summarily sued by the university, which believes it has the right to exercise its own religious policies based on freedoms afforded in the First Amendment. However, students and some alums have strongly pushed back.

“It’s critical that we boldly call out schools with anti-LGBTQ+ policies at every level of community,” said Chloe Guillot, a 2022 graduate and current Masters of Divinity student at Seattle Pacific. “Students like me have been organizing for years against an administration determined to marginalize queer voices and weaponize power to further anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination on a campus that is overwhelmingly demanding change. It’s important that people see what’s happening at Seattle Pacific University and other schools.”

Campus Pride did call out SPU and others for those stances, and took aim at BYU for its continued policies and recent delayed action in backing the LBGTQ community.

“These campuses illustrate the necessity for the Worst List and are striking examples of the anti-LGBTQ actions that students face at these colleges and universities,” Campus Pride officials said. “BYU has earned its reputation as a hotbed of bigotry, spending 2022 cracking down against pro-civil rights protests and removing some 5,000 Allyship and Activism Resource Guides set to be distributed to incoming freshmen.”

The post These 13 new colleges are among the ‘absolute worst’ for LGBTQ students appeared first on University Business.

From the enormous University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to the much smaller Elon University, Campus Pride unveiled the colleges that are “making their communities safer and more welcoming environments for students, faculty and staff.” The ones on the list, including a large number of public four-year institutions, all received five stars for their efforts. Many are going beyond simply catering to one or two subgroups of students in the inclusive acronym.

“We are seeing more and more colleges earn 5 stars because campuses are doing more to support their trans students,” states Dr. Genny Beemyn, the coordinator of Campus Pride’s Trans Policy Clearinghouse. “While all colleges can and should do more to be trans-inclusive, many institutions are taking important steps forward.”

The agency’s Campus Pride Index is a database where students can research institutions that are not only most friendly to gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer and other groups but have imparted policy statements inviting them to campuses. Those colleges and universities offer clubs and extended programming that serve their communities without exception.

Among the five-star champions for LGBTQ+ students and employees is Ithaca College in upstate New York. Going beyond having just a presence on campus, Ithaca launched a fellowship for recent grads and young workers to explore employment in higher education, including student affairs offices. The goal: “become effective leaders and changemakers.” It also added an Open Pages Residential Learning Community (RLC) targeted at transgender and nonbinary students to help them get acclimated to campus with their peers.

“Ithaca College being recognized as one of Campus Pride’s Best of the Best only reinforces my excitement to work for this institution,” Pride fellow Grace Dodsall told the university. “Being the inaugural Pride fellow at an institution with this honor fosters even further excitement for this work—being a member of a campus community that not only accepts queer students but expects them and continues working with and for them.”

More from UB: Gag orders impacting higher education jump 250% this year

In order to get five stars, institutions had to reach a benchmark of 93 percent out of 100 in Campus Pride’s methodology, which is based on eight factors including campus inclusion, safety, resources, support, housing, academic life, and recruitment and retention initiatives. Among the many standouts this year were a few in states that have traditionally leaned conservative—the University of North Florida, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Dallas.

“At a time when LGBTQ+ rights and other civil rights are under assault in states across the country, including Texas and Florida, it is as important as ever to recognize the campuses in these states working to create spaces where the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders can learn and flourish,” said Tom Elliott, Campus Pride board chair.

Here are this year’s 40 leading institutions:

NEW ENGLAND

Massachusetts

• Tufts University
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Vermont

• University of Vermont, VT

MID-ATLANTIC

Maryland

• Towson University, MD

New Jersey

• Montclair State University
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick

New York

• Adelphi University
• Ithaca College
• Pace University

Pennsylvania

• Lehigh University
• The Pennsylvania State University
• University of Pennsylvania

MIDWEST

Illinois

• Northern Illinois University
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• University of Illinois at Chicago

Indiana

• Indiana University, Bloomington
• Purdue University

Kansas

• Kansas State University

Michigan

• Oakland University
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Minnesota

• Macalester College, MN
• Minnesota State University-Mankato

Nebraska

• University of Nebraska at Kearney

Ohio

• Kent State University
• The Ohio State University

Wisconsin

• University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
• University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
• University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

SOUTHEAST

Florida

• University of North Florida

Kentucky

• University of Louisville

North Carolina

• Elon University

Virginia

• George Mason University
• Virginia Wesleyan University

SOUTHWEST

Texas

• Texas Tech University
• University of Texas at Dallas

WEST

California

• San Diego State University, CA

Colorado

• University of Colorado at Boulder, CO
• University of Northern Colorado, CO

Oregon

• Southern Oregon University

Washington

• Washington State University, WA

The post These 40 colleges and universities earn 5 stars for LGBTQ work appeared first on University Business.

A new report from the advocacy group PEN America titled America’s Censored Classrooms shows that the amount of legislation introduced more than doubled from 2021 to 2022, with many directly targeting vulnerable K-12s, which are effectively powerless to fight back because of threats to state funding. Public universities aren’t immune either, as those in red states such as Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi and South Dakota all saw bills that limited a campus or faculty’s ability to operate freely. Worse, they also could face losing accreditations or federal aid if they don’t comply.

“The gag order bills introduced in 2022 have tended to be more expansive and to target a wider array of educational speech than those filed last year,” authors noted in the report. “Instruction related to race has been the most common category of speech to draw lawmakers’ attention. But this year has also seen a sharp increase in the number of bills targeting LGBTQ+ issues and identities. Another notable development to date in 2022 has been the growing number of bills targeting higher education.”

In fact, though K-12s have gotten much of the national attention surrounding gag orders, 39% of the pool of bills have been aimed at institutions of higher education. PEN America also noted a trend, though tougher to pull off, of Congressional leaders trying to affect speech at private institutions (9% this year compared with 0% in 2021). The percentage of overall bills that did pass actually was higher than K-12s (57%).

“Moreover, those punishments have tended to be more extreme, including private rights of action, large monetary fines, faculty termination, and loss of institutional accreditation,” PEN researchers said. “Some unsuccessful bills have even proposed criminal penalties.”

More on UB: What 3 elements are driving the attacks on tenure, free speech in higher education

These are just a few examples of the bills that have gone through that now impact institutions:

• Florida’s Stop WOKE Act (HB 7) pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is one example of legislation passed where colleges and universities that are found to have introduced “divisive concepts” on their campuses might lose state funding.
• A similar bill in Mississippi (SB 2113) that addresses divisive concepts goes further by stating colleges and universities that receive state funding cannot classify their students by race.
• In South Dakota under HB 1012, which solely address higher education, public institutions cannot offer “trainings or orientation” or teach so-called divisive concepts regarding anything in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, i.e. race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Notably, only one proposed piece of legislation was offered up by a Democrat. The rest were all from Republicans. Though colleges are mentioned in nearly 40% of the bills, almost all of them address K-12s.

“Educators are under attack from legislators bent on depriving our children of an education that is open to a breadth of perspectives,” said Jeremy Young, senior manager of Pen America’s Free Expression and Education program. “Vibrant learning opportunities are essential for democratic citizenship to flourish. But this report confirms a grim reality: some elected leaders are marching schools backward, and trampling on students’ free expression in the process.”

The post Report: Gag orders impacting education jump 250% this year appeared first on University Business.

According to a new study released by the leaders at virtual health provider TimelyMD, nearly one-half of those polled had mental health at the top of the list, followed by three big stressors that have impacted the nation in the past six months. The threat of mass shootings was No. 2 among 1,200 students surveyed in late July at 41%—not surprising given the back-to-back events in Uvalde, Texas, and Highland Park, Ill.—followed by inflation and finances in a dead heat at 40%.

Academics only registered concern among 38% of those who participate, while monkeypox was almost a nonfactor at 16%, although public health officials have sent up warnings in recent weeks about its transmissibility. More than half of students are either not at all concerned or less concerned about COVID this year, with the majority citing their colleges’ ability to respond to the pandemic as a factor.

“Students’ top stressor is their own mental health. That’s saying something,” said Dr. Rufus Tony Spann, executive director of Mental Health at TimelyMD. “While survey results are encouraging and indicative of a societal shift in mental health awareness and greater recognition of resources, it’s clear students still need more support.”

More from UB: Monkeypox is here, so how prepared is your campus to deal with it?

Researchers point out that around 70% of students are still reporting mental health issues—lower than the 92% percent from a study done in January but still high given the timing of this report done during the summer. Most say their stress has either not abated or increased since the fall of 2021. When asked how their colleges and universities can better alleviate their concerns, students cited 24/7 healthcare options that include the potential for virtual or telehealth connections in addition to in-person campus care or peer support networking.

“The No. 1 reason students leave college is for mental health reasons, and a team-based approach to care can ensure students stay healthy and are more likely to achieve their goals,” said Seli Fakorzi, director of mental health operations at TimelyMD.

TimelyMD dived deeper into groups who are feeling stressed. In terms of race and ethnicity, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Native students are feeling the most pressure (87%). The vast majority of non-binary and LGBTQ+ students also are dealing with anxiety, isolation and depression more than others. Across the board, however, more than half of every subgroup is feeling the impacts of society’s problems as well as their own struggles with mental health. If there is a silver lining, researchers said it is that students are more likely now than last year to reach out for support (71%) compared with a year ago.

The post Monkeypox and COVID-19 are not concerns for college students, but these 4 issues are appeared first on University Business.

One in every five health-care workers nationally has quit since the pandemic started while one-third has been laid off, leaving more than 500,000 openings. Another 33% of nurses say they are considering leaving their jobs at the end of this year. They cite burnout and inflexible schedules as two factors. And one more might soon be added to the list: the inability to provide care for girls and women who are pregnant and seeking abortions.

Eight states already have banned the practice after the Supreme Court’s decision overturned Roe v Wade last Friday, and a dozen or more might join the list in the coming months. Could that lead to further attrition and put a pinch on college and university leaders heading into the fall?

A spokesperson at the American College Health Association told University Business it is a concern. “Campus health professionals have exhausted themselves over the last two years to protect their campuses from the harm and disruption caused by the pandemic,” she said. “For some, returning to an environment in which they may be forced to choose between providing care to a patient in need and legal prosecution may be untenable. Nor may they wish to live in a state in which their own reproductive health-care rights are infringed upon.”

The ACHA came out strongly against the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade, calling it “deeply distressing, as is the language of Justice Clarence Thomas, which suggests that existing protections for marriage equality, access to contraception, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQ+ rights in general are all under threat of similarly being overturned.” The organization also noted the potential impact on health workers and those who offer mental health support and services because of their oaths to uphold their codes of ethics.

“They are obligated to follow standards of care and are dedicated to providing the best health care to their campus communities,” the ACHA said in a statement. “This ruling, and the restrictive state laws triggered in its wake, will directly endanger college health professionals’ ability to provide evidence-based, patient-centered care and may place them in legal jeopardy.”

More from UB: Higher ed’s response to growing demands for medical education

During the past two years, health-care workers have endured double shifts with few breaks while facing reduced pay amid dire conditions, where they say patient care has suffered, according to individual reports from nurses affiliated with hospitals at major universities. On the home page of the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council website, a prominent image simply says, “Nurses Need Safe Staffing Now”, with workers there set to picket on July 16. Stanford University nurses in April launched a strike because of low pay and, ironically, their own mental health needs, as they continue to field increases in mental health calls from patients.

The Roe ruling has the potential to be devastating to already understaffed departments and university health-care units—especially in states where abortion is threatened—as nurses and others stand their ground. The impact might even go a step further.

“As students and families make enrollment decisions and choose to support IHEs in states with fewer restrictions, campus personnel in states with abortion bans may be negatively impacted by budget cuts due to declining enrollment at their institutions,” the ACHA spokesperson said. “Policymakers and campus leadership should be doing all they can to retain campus health professionals who have the institutional knowledge and specialized expertise to keep their campuses healthy and safe, not driving them away.”

Strong guidance, messaging and substantive change for health-care workers, as well as students who might be impacted, will be crucial as administrators and boards move through 2022-23. The ACHA says campus leaders can be effectual in three ways:

• “Where the root cause of student mental health concerns is the banning of access to health-care information or services, senior leaders can use their platform to speak to how that policy decision impacts their institution’s ability to advance its educational mission.
• Senior leaders can support student mental health by ensuring that institutional decisions are made based on thoughtful consultation that includes all constituencies impacted by these policies.
• In states where access to abortion and other reproductive health care or information are protected, senior leaders can assuage the student concerns by preparing for the strain on college health services’ capacity as community-based providers absorb patients from states with restrictions.”

The post Will mass resignations of college health-care workers occur in wake of Roe decision? appeared first on University Business.

Those institutions are not alone in their lack of acceptance of gay and queer rights, though a few of them have become headline makers in recent months, with students staging a sit-in over employee hiring at Seattle Pacific University, dating bans continuing at Brigham Young University and concerns rising over alleged conversion therapy at Liberty University.

Those tense climates, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of empathy among some political leaders, have had devastating impacts on students. In a recent survey done by BestColleges.com, 30% of LGBTQ students said they have considered leaving college, while 90% expressed that their mental health has been impacted.

They cite burnout, depression, lack of confidence, hopelessness and suicidal tendencies. And in all of the areas addressed in the study, researchers note that those individuals are suffering far more than other students and will turn to self-harm or stop caring for themselves if supports aren’t there.

“LGBTQIA+ college students have a unique set of mental health concerns that require school support from a place of understanding,” said Jessica Bryant, an analyst for BestColleges.com. “Colleges and universities’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for faculty and staff must include important details about this group’s needs to strive towards improving the well-being of all students.”

Nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ students have reached out for mental health help or are in therapy, according to the BestColleges study, but a third of them are going off-campus to get assistance. Some say they struggle to get help because of costs or insurance tie-ups, and 30% note that long wait times and a lack of counselors with similar identities on their campuses create additional barriers.

Providing robust resources and spaces is key

The crisis is more pronounced at institutions that are fighting against even the hint of organization gathering or connections being made. At Liberty, students cannot engage in any behavior that might be considered LGBTQ under its “Liberty Way” contract. At BYU, same-sex dating is not acceptable among students.

LGBTQ students are also facing an increasingly hostile political environment, especially in conservative states where several bills have been introduced that aim to tamp down free speech and LGBTQ rights in higher ed and K-12 schools, including the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation that passed in Florida.

More from UB: How your counseling website can be more supportive of LGBTQ students

Short of sweeping philosophical change, those institutions are likely to remain on Campus Pride’s Worst List. If there is a glimmer of hope for movement from those schools, it might come from an unlikely outlier, Baylor University. Though not fully embracing same-sex relationships, it is becoming more inclusive. Its Board of Trustees last year voted in favor of installing the first LGBTQ student group, Prism, saying “we recognize that Baylor’s LGBTQ+ students continue to seek care, connections, and community on our campus and a sense of belonging within the Baylor Family.” It was officially approved in April.

So how can campuses more willing to embrace LGBTQ improve their support of the community? They can follow the lead of the 25 best in the nation named by BestColleges and Campus Pride this week. There is also a new list of HBCUs that are the most LGBTQ-friendly.

Beyond that, Campus Pride offers an array of articles with guidance on many different topics related to LGBTQ that are applicable for college leaders, including:

• Strategies to create an LBGTQ campus
• Top 10 criteria students look for in an LGBTQ campus
• 7 ways for campus safety to support LGBTQ students
• The importance of having safe zones on campus
• How to handle hate preachers on campus

The post How open is your college campus to LGBTQ, or is it on the Worst List? appeared first on University Business.

Collective traditions notwithstanding—from the roll call of names to students walking across the stage to parting words from several dignitaries—they undoubtedly will remember first and foremost the speech from conservative Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

Lummis’ mention of gender midway through her keynote riled up at least a portion of the crowd, who booed and jeered her for this comment: “Even fundamental scientific truths such as the existence of two sexes, male and female, are subject to challenge these days,” in discussing individual rights, government intervention, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

While much of Lummis’ talk—which she said would be brief but ran for more than 17 minutes—focused on the central themes of parenting and care for others, how the information age is poised to outsmart all of us and how we are all “keepers of the flames of liberty,” that one line sparked a strong response from some in the audience. One Wyoming professor wrote on Twitter that there were chants telling her to get off the stage.

Lummis managed a wry smile and kept going, saying, “I personally question how, under our Constitution, we could forbid in-person worship services during a pandemic while labeling liquor stores as essential and keeping them open, and how the creation of a government disinformation board is not an affront to free speech.”

Lummis, a junior senator in a state that also has the most progressive Republican in Liz Cheney, has been a vocal critic of the Biden Administration and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). She has weighed in strongly on a number of hot-button national issues, denouncing student loan forgiveness and Roe vs. Wade, although she said recently she is in favor of Americans having freedom of speech to protest Roe if they want to. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance has named Lummis in its Accountability Project, which tracks “anti-LBGTQ words and action from politicians” and others.

More from UB: Wild commencement weekend: Harris on women’s rights, Stevie Wonder and weather

Though her early words were welcomed with applause—“The world needs more Cowboys”—her comment on the two sexes did not sit well with some in the Wyoming community, which has made deep inroads to provide a welcoming and safe atmosphere for all students, led by its Rainbow Resource Center on campus.

“It’s incredibly disappointing to be a student at UW right now,” one University of Wyoming student wrote in the comment section of the video on YouTube. “Not only was someone invited who advocates for government control of women’s bodies, but you guys also let her be transphobic in her speech after a trans student at UW committed suicide in the dorms this past fall semester. You should be ashamed of yourselves. UW always preaches about community and striving together to be better, but it still always fails to defend its student population against people/groups who have the intention to or are actively committing harmful behavior towards the UW student population.”

After her speech, President Ed Seidel thanked Lummis and said, “We deeply appreciate [before pausing and looking at the crowd] your thoughts today.” Lummis received a mix of cheers and jeers upon exiting. With backlash building on social media, Seidel on Sunday felt it necessary to release this statement:

“On Saturday, the university celebrated spring 2022 commencement with a series of events that showcased the best of what makes us special: our students, our staff, our faculty and our ability to openly embrace and debate complex issues. One of our speakers made remarks regarding biological sex that many on campus take issue with. While we respect the right of all to express their views, from students to elected officials, we unequivocally state that UW is an institution that supports and celebrates its diverse communities that collectively make us the wonderful place that we are. Thank you to the many students and families who celebrated with us this weekend. We welcome the incredible individuality and intellect of all our dynamic and diverse students and never want you to feel otherwise.”

Individuals from the LGBTQ community are far more likely to consider suicide, a number that has reached nearly 60% among transgender men and Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. However, it is also a staunchly conservative state, save for urban areas. During the last presidential election, it voted 70% Republican and only 26.5% Democrat, with the majority of its voters leaning falling in line with conservative ideologies.

The post Republican senator draws jeers at Wyoming commencement after comment on gender appeared first on University Business.

Whether they will be adopted is still up for debate—the first item has been pending for a year while the second was just introduced a week ago. Standridge also has another bill that would ban junior and technical colleges from hiring individuals known to have taught critical race theory, while fellow Republican Jim Olsen has similar legislation trying to thwart teachings on the history of slavery.

Oklahoma is hardly an outlier. There are 25 other states—and 48 pieces of proposed legislation—that are working to limit or bar free speech and expression at public colleges and universities. Many of them specifically target higher education, although some are bundled with K-12 bans. These gag orders are squarely aimed at a number of hot-button and polarizing issues such as CRT, religion, gender identity and the LGBTQ+ community. They hope to not only silence classroom discussions but also prevent the employment of those who instruct on the topics.

“The numbers are staggering. We’re looking at 155 bills that have been filed since January 2021, including 18 in the state of Missouri alone,” says Jeremy Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, a nonpartisan agency dedicated to ensuring free speech. “The number that targets higher ed has definitely increased since last year. Twelve bills have passed so far, and three relate to universities (one on classroom teaching, two on diversity training). There is fear and alarm on campuses in states where they’ve passed and chilling effects that go far beyond the text of the bills.”

More from UB: What is really being taught in a course on critical race theory?

Young references two states—Oklahoma and Iowa—where bans have led leaders at a couple of colleges and universities to cancel an elective class on CRT and issue guidance to faculty to “avoid scrutiny” and “in an abundance of caution” eliminate some items from their syllabi. With the fear and the proposed bans—more than 100 have K-12 schools in their crosshairs, too—has American society reached the moment Ray Bradbury warned about in Fahrenheit 451?

“Each of them carries a different piece of the surveillance and censorship state that gives the government broad license to censor conversations about Americans history, the origins of racism and injustice, the very existence of LGBT people,” said Nadine Smith, executive director of political advocacy group Equality Florida, during a recent roundtable held by PEN America.

Florida is one of the strongest states pushing against the LGBTQ+ community with its pending “Don’t Say Gay” legislation targeting K-12 schools. But several others are on the way, including one from Sen. Joe Gruters that wants to ban “public colleges and universities from teaching, advocating, or promoting divisive concepts, race or sex scapegoating in curriculum or mandatory training.”

Young says Black identities and experiences and LGBTQ are getting the most attention, including “15 bills in eight states specifically targeting speech around homosexuality or LGBTQ status, bills that say that you are not allowed to assign material that mentions homosexuality.” One bill in Kansas would ban discussions or materials in K-12 schools related to “sexual conduct”, which effectively refers to homosexuality. But it doesn’t stop there. If approved, colleges and universities that want to address it could only do so through an “approved course or program of instruction.” Here are the eye-opening refrains in three of the bills:

• One in Alabama wants to ban public institutions from teaching or training employees, staff or students “to adopt or believe divisive concepts.”
• Another in Pennsylvania aims to prevent universities that try to “host, pay or provide a venue for a speaker who espouses, advocates or promotes any racist or sexist concept.”
• Two bills in separate states, one in New York and one in Missouri, aim to bar institutions from mandating that students learn about the 1619 Project.

There are scores of other bans being proposed that likely would shake the foundations of higher education if they were imposed. And lawmakers aren’t just stopping at bans. They are trying to root out those who do the teaching and those institutions that are forging ahead with trying to include those topics in curriculum and in training.

“There are bills out there right now that would basically make it impossible to hire someone in an African American Studies Department, someone in a Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, not to mention someone who teaches African American history, or Sociology of Gender, or Gender in Business,” Young says. “It says you can’t put it in the job description.”

‘The polarization is distressing’

Many legislators want to extend that control by imposing punishments on those who would violate these new laws. Although mostly at the K-12 level, there are some that extend to higher education, including the threat of pulling state funding, loss of accreditation, professional discipline including the mandatory firing of employees in some cases, and even criminal prosecution as the above-mentioned bill in Kansas proposes. But the biggest setback for institutions might be the loss of learning and the loss of cultural knowledge for students.

“That’s the biggest risk here,” Young says. “There is a reason that college campuses are a bastion of free expression and academic freedom. It is the best environment for students to learn about the widest range of perspectives and to understand the world around them in the most complete way. When there is an attempt to limit colleges and schools, free expression is what suffers. Student learning suffers.”

PEN America is nonpartisan, but Young says this current wave of potential suppression is alarming.

“We take stances against attacks on free speech from the left and the right,” he says. “We don’t see free speech as a partisan issue. We see it as something that everyone can agree on. This is an issue that has been almost perfectly polarized politically. You can predict more clearly than you should whether one of these bills is going to pass based on the political composition of the legislature and the governor’s office. The polarization around this issue is distressing.”

So what’s driving this massive push where there are so many proposed bills coming forward?

“It is a competition. Every conservative legislator wants to be able to say that they are the person who passed the bill that shut down critical race theory,” Young says. “So they’ll all propose bills, and generally only one or two of them are going to move forward.”

What could change the dynamic, if not completely, might be higher ed administrators themselves “really putting some muscle behind trying to stop these bills,” he says. “I wouldn’t underestimate the amount of power they have.”

They can do this in three ways, Young says. Administrators can tell address the issues with their communities and say “this doesn’t affect our campus because our campus cares for the values of free expression and inclusivity.” The second would be to let faculty and students know that they are defending them and their rights, especially when bills do not apply to them. They can do that through public statements. The third, and perhaps the most critical especially at public institutions, is they can lean on lobbyists to try to prevent them from going further or changing the language in them. “If they push back against these bills in their lobbying meetings,” Young points out, “they do have the ability sometimes to curtail what some of them are doing.”

The post Strike up the bans: Nearly 50 gag orders target freedom of speech in higher ed appeared first on University Business.