This college is using unique methods to increase diversity. But does it violate students’ rights to privacy or nondiscrimination?

An expanded outreach program at the University of Pennsylvania is targeting gay students to boost its campus’s reputation as supportive of LGBT students.

The new initiative in Penn’s application process asks prospective students about the communities they would like to be active in.

Students who identify an interest in gay life at the university, through their current memberships or statements they make about themselves in their essays, are then contacted by Lambda Alliance, the school’s umbrella gay group, to reach out to those looking for a gay-friendly campus.

This recruiting technique adds sexuality to race and ethnicity, gender, geography and academics for schools looking to add diversity to their applicant pools.

But a voluntary question on all college applications is still a long way off, since colleges must abide by nondiscrimination agreements – including sexual orientation – in their application procedures.

Has your school considered a similar outreach initiative? Let us know in the comments section.

Tags: gay student enrollment, LGBT student groups, University of Pennsylvania