The Princeton Review recently released its yearly 50 college ranking lists. One of the lists was the “LGBTQ-unfriendly” list, in which Rowan University was ranked no. 18.
The list included 25 universities. 15 of them were conservative or religiously affiliated schools, and 10 of them were public universities with no religious affiliation. Rowan University has positioned itself as being LGBTQ+ friendly in the past. According to its website, Rowan offers specific LGBTQ+ counseling services through the Wellness Center, and was even named in 2018 among the friendliest LGBTQIA+ schools. Notably, some anonymous users on Reddit have mixed opinions. One user said that the actual staff at Rowan can be very inclusive and LGBTQ+ friendly. They mentioned the drag shows, and Prism, Rowan’s LGBTQIA+ club. But they argued that the student body may have different thoughts.
“The rest of the student body, your mileage may vary,” said the user in a comment. “Plenty of people are great, but South Jersey can be conservative, and Rowan is a big school, so plenty of people are also not cool. However, it’s not hard to find your people and mostly stick with them.”
Many offered suggestions to those feeling uneasy.
“There are a ton of spaces that are inclusive. Highly recommend getting involved in the music/basement show scene,” said another commenter on the Reddit thread.
The Whit staff decided to weigh in on their personal experiences and thoughts about Rowan’s LGBTQ+ positioning.
Beth Cimaglia, Editor-in-Chief: I think the question of whether or not Rowan is LGBTQ friendly is layered. It’s very dependent on who you ask, and what criteria you look at. Based on my own experiences as a queer woman who is a senior at Rowan, and the experiences of my peers, I think Rowan is not unlike any other university in the country, especially in 2026. It has its homophobic crowd, but the vast majority of students are accepting or at least tolerant. The University itself, I’d say, can always be improving on its support of LGBTQ students, but it does a good job overall. I don’t think, however, that Rowan should be anywhere near the other 24 schools on this list.
Katie Thorn, Managing Editor: Universities have long been known by many as progressive institutions accepting of all people and identities. Maybe because of this stigma, I always thought of Rowan University as a welcoming school to people in the LGBTQ+ community. In my experience, I haven’t necessarily seen a ton of outward support for the community, but maybe that’s the problem. A feeling everyone has felt is exclusion, and it’s especially heartbreaking to know there are students on Rowan’s campus feeling this way on their college campus, a place that is supposed to be their home. Instead of limiting the celebration of Rowan students in the LGBTQ+ community to just April, their presence and their identity should be outwardly celebrated, not just accepted.
Christopher Otto, News & Photography Editor: I don’t want to say that Rowan is entirely anti-LGBTQ. I think that, to a degree, Rowan is friendly towards those in the LGBTQ community. However, I don’t think that Rowan does enough to ensure the safety of queer students. The university will hold countless public forums and conversations and claim that they’re inclusive to all, even offering courses such as Queer Literature, but Rowan doesn’t always practice what it preaches. I don’t want to say that it’s a matter of not caring, but it’s more a matter of Rowan not caring enough. Students face homophobia on campus daily, and yet those who speak unkindly against them hardly face any kind of repercussions, at least none made public. Rather, the victims are just left to deal with the aftermath. As an openly bisexual male, I’ve been grateful enough not to have to deal with any kind of harassment pertaining to my sexual orientation, but I know people who have to varying extents, to me, that is absolutely unacceptable. Rowan can hold and sponsor all of the Pride events they want, but that doesn’t mean that LGBTQ students feel comfortable fully expressing themselves on Rowan’s campus. At least, not without facing some sort of scrutiny from those who can’t grasp the concept that it’s not a sin to love whoever you want and be who you are.
Sarah Shockey, Sports Editor: I would say that the school itself is very open to LGBTQ+ students. There are multiple pride fests and queer organizations on campus, making Rowan a very accepting space. They even light up Bunce Hall with rainbow colors during the school’s pride month, which is celebrated in April. But, as a straight woman with a gay best friend (The Whit’s very own Mattie Mac Kay), I have seen or heard of homophobia directed towards him. Whether it be a story from a night out or seeing one of our peers refuse to talk to him, there certainly are a number of anti-gay students on Rowan’s campus. Just like the outside world, Rowan’s student body might not be the most inclusive at times, but I don’t feel it’s the majority. The school itself is very accepting, and the staff actively show or put on events to share their pride.
Marchella Mazzoni, Features Editor: After hearing about The Princeton Review naming Rowan University among the top 25 LGBTQ unfriendly schools, I felt genuinely disappointed in our community. As someone who has gained some of my most meaningful memories and life-changing opportunities on our campus, it’s disheartening to realize that not every student has been able to share this experience. I’ve always believed that Rowan’s student life and clubs cultivated welcoming atmospheres, but now I question how this sense of inclusion is extended to all of our student body. Though I have never personally experienced or witnessed Rowan University students being unfriendly to those in the LGBTQ community, I believe our entire university definitely needs to reflect on how we treat others as a whole. I hope our campus community takes this as a time for us to look back on our actions and take accountability. We must continue to strive to be kind to everyone at Rowan and promote respect, inclusivity, and belonging.
Mattie Mac Kay, Arts & Entertainment Editor: As someone who is gay, I’m grateful to surround myself with people who love me and respect me. I am in every space I find myself in, whether it be a party, work, home life, or athletic space. I make it a priority that my personality and the person I am are at the forefront, not my sexuality. Yet I am not ignorant of the fact that this is not everyone’s experience, especially in closed spaces where leaders make it uncomfortable for these people to actually be themselves. This is a very obvious cultural issue, where Rowan may rank 18 on this list, but you’re going to find bigots in every collegiate space, especially in the current political state of the world. In many cases, the lack of safety doesn’t come from explicit policies, but from the unspoken culture within certain spaces. Whether it’s a locker room, a student organization, or even a classroom, tone is often set by those in leadership positions. At the end of the day, safety on a college campus is not defined by rankings, but by everyday experiences. It’s reflected in whether students feel comfortable speaking, participating, and existing without hesitation in any space they enter. While Rowan’s placement on this list may raise concerns, the real issue lies in the culture that allows discomfort to stand strong in these situations.
Lily Miller, Opinion Editor: In my neck of the woods, Rowan is very friendly to LGBTQ students. Some of the many clubs at Rowan sponsor events that cater to queer students and include the community in a fun and respectful way. I, a queer person myself, have never felt ostracized or left out. That said, I don’t make it a habit to hang out with people who make me feel bad for existing. Rowan is home to many students, staff, and faculty who, for one reason or another, are anti-LGBTQ. While not all religions and cultures are mutually exclusive with queerness, many are and may implicitly condemn queer students. Furthermore, the routine presence of people on our campus who are aggressively anti LGBTQ can be very intimidating to queer students, if the recent YDSA protest isn’t any indication. Learning to coexist isn’t easy, especially as tensions rise across cultural groups. It’s important for the Rowan community to remember that first and foremost, this school is secular, and we owe one another respect.
Hayden Fugee, Copy Desk Chief: When considering whether Rowan is Anti LGBTQ+, I don’t think the university itself is, but rather a growing number of students. As someone who has been around campus for two years now, I have seen firsthand the casual, hateful slurs and disdain for members of the queer community from people I have had the misfortune to live with, to people I overhear in my dorm halls. Preachers taunting that members of the LGBTQ+ community will burn in hell on their way to class only adds fuel to an already disgusting issue. The casual hate speech, homophobia, and transphobia may not be on every corner of campus, but it is enough, and that in and of itself needs to change.
Caitlin Schad, Social Media Editor: My first thought that comes to mind when I think about whether Rowan is LGBTQ+ friendly is yes. But when I truly think about it, I think that it may offer welcoming environments and have its allies, but the university itself isn’t inclusive. It offers clubs, and the faculty can be inclusive, but the university doesn’t seem to offer any inclusivity as a whole. I don’t think that is completely unfriendly because of the things offered by students and faculty. In fact, students do put forth effort to make others feel welcome, whereas I feel that the university lacks this. The topic doesn’t seem as important to them as it should be. If Rowan strives to define definition, then the LGBTQ+ community should be a part of this, not just for June when they do post about it. The university should be hosting more large events catered to the community and its allies, not just in June but in every month of the year.
Savannah Chadee, Productions Editor: In my opinion, I’ve seen both moments of genuine support towards one another, whether it’s through campus events, supportive professors or organizations while at the same time its near impossible to ignore and avoid the pockets of hostile attitudes that I have seen with at least a good handful of students in which I have seen that attitude.
Alex Cruz, Graphics Editor: When it comes to LGBTQ+ support and safety, I think Rowan does a decent job in theory. Those spaces are run by students for students to ensure that people within the community have a college experience that they can look back on fondly. Unfortunately, the university itself feels hands-off on the matter, and sometimes is quiet about bigger issues, such as students being less accepting of others. As a straight-presenting male who is gay, I never had the misfortune of being confronted with any negativity, but even with the few stories of others’ experiences that I have heard, it has been disappointing all the same, in how many students have faced prejudice in some form, and how other students speak so hatefully about those within the community. Even then, I don’t believe that out of all the colleges in the U.S., hearing that Rowan is considered the top 18 sounds unrealistic compared to so many universities that would ignore the existence of LGBTQ+ students. This assessment has a lot of black and white when it comes to specifics, but I feel like this list should have more scrutiny when you put the lack of states and reasons for the rankings.
Julissa Sierra, Copy Editor: As Rowan is a public university, I believe that there isn’t that much negativity towards the LGBTQ+ community, but we should do more. For someone who doesn’t revolve partially around the LGBTQ+ community, I feel that there is not that much recognition for the community. At Rowan, I feel as if students and faculty are the ones who bring out the community. However, Rowan itself does not do anything to support the community. I believe that the university should do more events and have more clubs to support the community. The only thing that should matter is that everyone feels safe at Rowan and feels like they do not have to hide who they are.
Sofia Graiff, Copy Editor: For me personally, I have never seen or experienced any LGBTQ+ negativity on campus, but as someone who is straight, I realize I may just be ignorant of it without realizing it. Also, as a commuter, it may be the fact that I’m simply not on campus enough to see any LGBTQ+ unfriendly actions. With that being said, I am sure that there are some people on campus who aren’t very friendly to those in the LGBTQ+ community, especially since there are thousands and thousands of students on campus. There are just bound to be people who aren’t as accepting of this community. If this campus being LGBTQ+ unfriendly is a problem, I believe that it is something that should be looked into and prevented because I wouldn’t want to be on a campus that isn’t accepting of all of the communities that it welcomes.
The Whit staff believes there can always be improvements to the overall culture of the school in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance. Rowan, at the end of the day, sets the standard for how its students should act, and we believe Rowan would do well to make their stance abundantly clear, not only in April but also throughout the entirety of the year. With a rapidly growing school, LGBTQ+ events and clubs should grow to meet the demand.
