The Office of LGBTQ+ Resources here at UK has been hard at work, and one can see its payoff in the university’s score on Campus Pride Index— a perfect five out of five.

According to its website, Campus Pride Index is a national benchmarking service which self-assesses LGBTQ+ policies, programs and practices. Each year the top 30 colleges are chosen based on overall Campus Pride ratings as well as more specific marks for LGBTQ+ inclusivity, ranging from policy inclusion and academic life to campus safety and housing and residence life.

UK’s rankings, while a self-assessment according to the site’s policies, is backed up by the exhaustive testing and reviewing the index tool goes through to ensure accuracy.

Other schools earning a perfect five include Indiana University in Bloomington and Princeton, but UK is the only school in the Southeastern Conference to be ranked in the top 25, said Blair Hoover Conner of UKPR. The University of Louisville is the only other college in the state of Kentucky to receive the perfect score.

“We are incredibly proud of our five-star rating and very aware of the host of campus partners and student leaders who contributed to us receiving this distinction by putting diversity and inclusivity as a major focus in all that they do each day,” UK Director of LGBTQ+ Resources on campus Lance Poston said to UKNow.

Poston asserts that this ranking sends a message to potential students and employees, saying that UK “is a place that values everyone and the unique contributions they make to our special place.”

“I think it’s wonderful that we live on such a welcoming campus, that welcomes everyone not just the majority,” said Tiffany Richards, a junior transfer student studying elementary education. “I’m really not that shocked that [UofL and UK] are the only schools in Kentucky with this perfect rating… I didn’t see much [discrimination] at my last school, but at least LGBTQ+ students have at least two options for school.”

Patrick Edwards, a junior economics and political science major, is a member of the LGBTQ+ community here at UK.

“It makes me feel… better about UK and safer on campus and grateful to the school for caring so much for our LGBTQ+ students,” Edwards said.

Should one wish to take advantage of the extensive amenities available through the Office of LGBTQ+ Resources, one can contact the office by email at [email protected], call at (859) 218-8416, or visit its website.