Does the athletic department expressly partner (i.e., posted about this partnership on their website) with their campus LGBTQ+ center or another campus group around LGBTQ+ inclusion on a recurring and annual basis?
Methodology update as of July 2023: If AEI evidence (or the document or page containing the evidence) has a visible time-stamp, date range of application, or departmental review date, such time-stamps must be dated within the last 2 calendar years to qualify for scoring purposes. Evidence that is explicitly timestamped more than 2 calendar years before an institution’s annual audit cannot be reasonably assumed to remain unchanged in its application to current students unless explicitly stated by the athletic department. We use calendar years to make these distinctions; for example, a 2020-2021 student-athlete handbook is acceptable evidence for an audit conducted in 2023, but would not be acceptable for an audit conducted in 2024.
Partnerships between athletic departments and campus LGBTQ+ groups can help identify and address the needs of LGBTQ+ student-athletes. In addition, they bring awareness to potential biases in athletics (Griffin & Taylor, 2012). Developing a relationship between these two groups enables student-athletes and staff to benefit from local information. The use of local information creates a more accurate understanding of an institution’s unique campus and regional climates. The involvement of athletics administrators and coaches is significant as student-athletes are more likely to be engaged with, and visible in, promoting inclusion and partnership when they perceive supportive attitudes from athletics staff (Toomey & McGeorge, 2018). Collaboration between LGBTQ+ campus groups and athletics increases awareness and visibility, educating and connecting the campus community via panels, trainings, Pride nights, workshops, speakers, and visibility campaigns.