Ithaca College

Classes are almost upon us and we wanted to provide a reminder about the role that we as faculty and staff play in the experience that our students have at Ithaca College.

Some of our students are transgender, genderqueer, nonbinary, agender, or have another gender identity and may use a name different from their birth name. Some cisgender (non-transgender) students use a name different from their birth name, too. If you would like to learn more about these terms, you can visit the following resources:

• www.teachingtransgender.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TTT-Glossary-of-Terms.pdf and/or
• https://www.glaad.org/transgender/allies.
  
  Both resources are helpful in becoming a strong ally to our transgender students and colleagues.  

A student may approach you before class starts or may send an email, asking you to note that they use a different name than what appears on the roster or program attendance list, and/or personal pronouns (they/them, she/her/ he/him or another set of pronouns) different than what might be assumed. www.mypronouns.org/ is an excellent resource on the different types of personal pronouns people use and why this matters.  

Many of these students have encountered disrespect and frustration due to others not respecting their chosen name or gender in their lives and academic careers before entering IC. The beginning of each semester can be an especially challenging time. One effort Ithaca College made to prevent some of this frustration was to implement a Personal Information Policy during academic year 2018-2019.

Everyone has the right to be addressed and referred to by the chosen name and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity, including the use of non-binary pronouns (e.g. they/them). Research also demonstrates the protective health impact of using chosen names.

Class rosters have a student’s legal first name unless the student has designated their chosen first name with the Registrar's office using this online form. Pronouns are not included on rosters, and we encourage you to forego using pronouns and instead refer to all students by their chosen name until and unless they choose to share a pronoun. 

A student’s chosen name and pronouns should be respected at all times in our community (Zoom meetings, virtual events, classrooms, workspaces, residence halls, etc.).

Inclusive strategies for welcoming students include:

1.      Use the name a student asks you to use, regardless of whether the roster or participation list has a different name, and regardless of whether the roster name seems to be a name associated with another gender (please do not point this out or mention it to other students). HomerConnect pulls information listed in the chosen name field as opposed to only pulling information from the legal name field. Making this simple change before publicly reading the roster or program attendance list will avoid inadvertently embarrassing the student or disclosing their personal information to others.

2.      Display your pronouns during Zoom meetings. Right click on your name, select "Rename," type your pronouns in after your name e.g. Luca Maurer (he/him), and click "OK."

3.      Create a simple online form for students to fill out with their contact info including the name they go by and their pronouns so they can share them with you before the first class meeting. Or, invite students at the beginning of class to send their responses to you privately via the Zoom chat option. If meeting in face to face classes, ask all students to complete index cards with contact information, the name they use/like to be called, and answers to a few other questions. You may also invite all students to write their pronouns, too. You may need to explain/give examples. (e.g., my pronouns are 'she' and 'her'; my pronouns are ‘they/them’.) Not every student will opt to display their pronouns in a Zoom meeting or to share them.

4.      If you do class introductions, invite students to use the name they wish to be called, even if it is different from what is on the roster. 

5.      Use inclusive language. For instance, use the words students/scholars/athletes when referring to groups of students, use they/them pronouns to refer to students when their pronouns are not known to you. 

6.      Call on students using a description rather than a gender, for instance instead of saying "the gentleman in back," or "the woman in the front," say things like "the student in the purple sweater in the back row"  "the student with a Led Zeppelin poster on their wall,” “the student with their hand raised,” “the student holding a tiny dog,” etc.

7.      Be aware of IC resources. For instance, the LGBT Center provides consultation, resources, support, and referral. Director Luca Maurer provides consultation to faculty and staff seeking more information, and connects students to the policies, programs, and services on our campus that support them. Visit Ithaca.edu.lgbt or contact Lmaurer@ithaca.edu 607-274-7394

8.      Put a Title IX paragraph on the syllabus or orientation/contact materials you provide to your students. For example: “Please note that if you disclose an experience related to sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, dating violence, and/or stalking, sexual harassment or sex-based discrimination, your professor can inform the Title IX Coordinator, lkoenig@ithaca.edu, of all relevant information, including your name. The college will take initial steps to address the incident(s), protect, and, support those directly affected, and enhance the safety of our community. The Title IX Coordinator will work with you to determine the best way to proceed.  Information shared in class assignments, class discussions, and at public events do not constitute an official disclosure, and faculty and staff do not have to report these to the Title IX Coordinator. Faculty and staff should be sure that access to campus and community resources related to sexual misconduct are available to students in the case these subjects do arise. Any other disclosure to faculty and staff needs to be reported to the Title IX Coordinator. For more information: https://www.ithaca.edu/share." Please visit the SHARE website for more information.

Simple adjustments like this will make a big difference in welcoming students into our remote learning spaces, classrooms and co-curricular learning opportunities at IC. These actions are part of the larger work of creating and sustaining an inclusive, supportive, safe, and nondiscriminatory campus community for all our students.

If you have questions or would like a presentation on this or similar topics for your department, office, class or student group, please contact either Luca or Linda directly. 

Thank you for the work you do creating welcoming and inclusive spaces for our students.

Luca Maurer
Director, LGBT Education, Outreach & Services 
lmaurer@ithaca.edu 

 and

Linda Koenig
Title IX Coordinator 
lkoenig@ithaca.edu