Kelly MCkewen, The Miami Student
Students identifying as members of the LGBTQ community in Miami's class of 2020 have been offered two opportunities that were not available for previous classes.
On the application for admission to Miami, an optional question was added to one section of the application, asking prospective students if they identify as a member of the LGBTQ community. The question was placed in a section that asked students other questions such as their affiliation with the military or with the Miami Tribe, or whether they are a first-generation college student.
As these students now enter Miami as first years, a mentoring program has been created to help aid in their transition. The decision to allow students to self-identify on their applications was a result of the Office of Admissions' efforts to prioritize diversity. The purpose of the new question was to connect LGBTQ students with resources within the LGBTQ community on campus, said Susan Schaurer, director of admissions.
"Particularly for LGBTQ students, once they got here, they would have to find those resources," Shaurer said. "We wanted to make certain we do a lot to provide diversity programs to those students on the frontside."
In conjunction with the new question on the application, a mentoring program was created for all students who self-identified on their application. The mentoring program partners first year LGBTQ students with professors and other faculty to help them connect with other members of the community.
Most students involved in the program have not yet met with their mentors and know very little about what the mentoring relationship will entail. Some students, such as first-year Ryan Jago, expressed concern over being paired with a mentor just for self-identifying on the admission application.
"I really don't see a huge reason for me to have a mentor, and I hope they didn't just assume I needed one because I'm LGBT. But, I do see a benefit in getting to know a professor on a personal level and not just a student-teacher level. I see the benefit in knowing that there is someone I can talk to, even if I never do," Jago said.
In future years, including for the class of 2021, the Office of Admissions plans on adding another question to the application to address concerns like Jago's. In the future, if a student chooses to identify as an LGBTQ student on their application, they will also be asked if they would like information about the resources available to them. First-year Austin Zimmers believes the mentoring program will help make Miami a more inclusive place.
"I think that having this program is going to contribute to a more inclusive environment because it's a step that is being taken to help a community that has struggled to feel included in the past, feel welcome at Miami. People struggling with their gender identity or their sexuality will have a resource to help them, and students who are comfortable with themselves will have a connection that can hopefully allow them to help others who aren't comfortable yet," Zimmers said.
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