title: Structuring injustice: partisan politics in the making and unmaking of James Madison University's equal opportunity policy.
abstract: This analysis contributes to LGBT campus climate research on the quality of campus life in higher education in the United States. We argue that public education institutions in different states face divergent impediments to improving campus climate, and that more research is needed identifying structural factors affecting campus climate. Using a social systems analysis of policymaking at one university as a case study, we illustrate how partisan politics and state regulation make Virginia colleges and universities more vulnerable to political scrutiny and control. Finally, we propose a social justice-oriented policy agenda to address structural inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Justice Studies, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. robin2cm@jmu.edu
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Sue E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Spivey
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005783:Gender Identity; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D011057:Politics; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012935:Social Justice; D014495:Universities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014768:Virginia