Campus Pride held its third annual Midwest regional LGBT friendly prep day and college fair at Roosevelt University Oct. 5.
"We've partnered with Roosevelt University for this fair and this is the first time we've held the fair at Roosevelt. Thirty-five colleges and universities and two non-profits are represented this year, the most ever for the Midwest region," said Jake Christensen, LGBT-friendly college fair coordinator.
Among the colleges and universities represented were a number of Chicago area schools; Adler School of Professional Psychology, Art Institutes of Chicago, Columbia College, Elmhurst University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, University of Chicago, and University of Illinois-Chicago. Also in attendance were Blackburn College, Bradley University, Colorado School of Mines, Eastern Illinois University, Emory University, Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Knox College, Lawrence University, Marshall University, Michigan Technological University, Northern Illinois University, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Edwardsville, University of Illinois-Springfield, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, University of Wisconsin Madison, Milwaukee and Stevens Point, Vanderbilt University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Warren Wilson College.
Prospective students were given an all purpose LGBT resource guide "The Lil' Purple Backpack" as they entered the fair. The guide has lists of LGBT friendly schools, student organizing and social justice tips and tricks.
"It's important for LGBT students to be able to come to a fair and ask LGBT related questions and be in a comfortable environment. They know when they arrive at this fair that all of the colleges in attendance are welcoming and that allows prospective students to ask sensitive questions and find out if a particular school is right for them. I want students in Chicago to know that our school is welcoming and Richmond is not a southern backwater town," said Keegan White, Chicago regional recruiter for Virginia Commonwealth University.
"We have students from 125 different countries and all 50 states. It's a very diverse campus so it's very important for us to be at this college fair. We also participate in pride events in Indianapolis and have a booth set up for prospective students at Indy Pride," said Mike Melinder, undergraduate admissions at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
"We want LGBTQI students to know that Vanderbilt is a welcoming campus. There are a lot of pre-conceived notions about the south and acceptance and diversity and at Vanderbilt we want students to feel like they can be who they are," said Annalise Miyashiro, undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University.
See www.campuspride.org for more information.
