National Opinion

Alternative lifestyles are now an alternative at Boston College, according to the latest rankings from the Princeton Review.

The University is finally off the dreaded “low acceptance of gay community” list in the Review’s 361 Best Colleges book, a list it has been on since 2000. BC has held court at No. 2 twice, before moving to No. 5, to No. 14, and back to No. 5 again. The University’s constant on the list effectively branded it as one of the nation’s most homophobic institutions, sending a message to thousands of high school students that gay is not OK in Chestnut Hill.

And if the Princeton Review says it, then it must be true.

The reality is that during that same time, BC’s student body really stood up in support of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community. While at times met by institutional hesitation, students pushed for—and got, albeit it in some diluted form—a gay/straight alliance (Allies). The group, which operates under heavy administrative oversight, could and should be doing more. But that doesn’t change the fact that hundreds of students stepped forward and said, “We want to see change.”

It was a fairly unified movement, though evidently not unifying enough for the Princeton Review.

The rankings are apparently based on surveys submitted by students, though the organization admits that it only updates an institution’s information about every three years. So, the information used about BC in 2000 could have been the same used in 2003, even though other schools on the same list could have been updated. Sounds like a really scientific process.

There was no way that the Review would have gotten away with putting the University on its homophobic list this year, though. In February, almost half of all undergraduates voted on a referendum asking whether or not they supported the inclusion of sexual orientation into BC’s nondiscrimination policy.

A whopping 84 percent of voters—a total of 3,402 students—said yes; just 651 students said they didn’t support the initiative.

Then, in April, nearly 1,500 students were joined by faculty and staff in the Dustbowl to both stand in solidarity with the campus’ GLBT community and encourage the University to amend its nondiscrimination policy.

The following month, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., approved a more welcoming clause

The policy was altered to include sexual orientation, listing it alongside other factors, such as race, gender, disabilities, and national origin.

It took years for such change and progress at BC, and it’s rewarding to know that it was recognized by the Princeton Review. Including the University on the “Alternative Lifestyles Not an Alternative” list again this year would have been ignorant and insulting.

It’s important to remember that nothing’s perfect. As a community, we can always do more to make everyone feel welcome. Differences shouldn’t divide us—especially in atmosphere built on dialogue and respect for others.

And for what its worth, the Princeton Review could benefit from changing how it gathers information on colleges and universities. If students are going to take the time to log online and talk openly about their institution, the Review can at least take the time to update the statistics it uses every year instead of every three.