DUH! ... Survey results show Kansas University System is Homophobic

[RKP5637]

Well, it is Kansas, so DUH! IMO if homophobic, there's probably a lot of other 'phobic' going on too.

Survey Says: Homophobia at KU

http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2012/11/21/survey-says-homophobia-at-ku

A survey released November 16 regarding faculties at Kansas' seven state universities reveals that University of Kansas professors believe homophobia is commonplace on campus. As one KU respondent put it, "Anti-GLBT discrimination is the norm in the unit and school levels quite often."

The Kansas Conference of the American Association of University Professors sent the survey to faculties at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, Fort Hays State, Emporia State, the KU School of Medicine, Pittsburg State and Wichita State. It asked more than 4,000 faculty members at those schools to rate their institutions report-card style - from A to F - on 39 statements across a variety of topics of university governance. The results show that KU's employees believe the university does a poor job of including faculty in university governance. More glaring than that were KU's terrible marks for fostering inclusion of GLBT faculty members.

"University [is] OK," a KU respondent wrote. "[The] school is fundamentally homophobic."

"GLBT - beware of parts of KU," added another.

Allegations of institutional homophobia aren't new at KU. A Pitch feature story in April ("Denied," April 12, 2012) profiled Albert Romkes, a KU assistant professor of mechanical engineering who is gay and was denied tenure under questionable circumstances. Romkes was told that the denial was due to his failure to line up enough grants. However, Romkes had secured a major federal grant. The university had also cited new rules - rules that had never been applied to another faculty member - to deny him tenure.

Several professors and dozens of students argued that the real reason Romkes - who had won teaching awards and was highly regarded by peers - was let go was because of his sexuality.

And TPTB in Kansas think the state is a model for all of the US! And that people are going to flock to KS to live and work because it's such a great place to be.

[KSstellarcat]

1. interesting, because Lawrence (where KU is) is considered to be the most accepting town in Kansas

My gay son almost went to school there. I am a Kansas State alumnus, and it never seemed blatantly homophobic to me (back in the 90s). However, I am not gay, so obviously I wasn't as attentive as I should have been.

[RKP5637]

2. I was wondering about that too. Maybe the Lawrence campus is more LGBT friendly, but the other

campuses/schools in the survey were not as LGBT friendly. ... since it covered faculties at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, Fort Hays State, Emporia State, the KU School of Medicine, Pittsburg State and Wichita State.