NCLUDE 10.20.21

Office of Diversity and Inclusion Author

11/03/2021 Added

18 Plays

Description

This session, featuring a panel of members from the Non-binary Gender Values Steering Committee, discussed Executive Memorandum No. 40, the University of Nebraska system’s new policy on chosen names and gender identity.

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[00:00:07.390]Good afternoon, everyone.
[00:00:08.840]We will get started now.
[00:00:11.250]We don't want to delay the time too much.
[00:00:13.800]Again, welcome to NCLUDE,
[00:00:15.700]Nebraska Community of Learners-Understanding Diversity
[00:00:17.760]through Education.
[00:00:19.150]This is our first session for the academic year
[00:00:22.800]of 2021/2022.
[00:00:25.180]And we thank you all so much for joining us.
[00:00:27.820]And hopefully this conversation today
[00:00:30.340]will be one of many that you participate in
[00:00:33.910]not only through NCLUDE, hopefully through NCLUDE,
[00:00:36.240]but in a number of ways.
[00:00:38.650]Before we get started, of course,
[00:00:39.870]I would like to introduce a few of us.
[00:00:41.897]I'd do these introductions for those
[00:00:44.270]in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion particularly.
[00:00:46.400]My name is Nkenge Friday.
[00:00:48.150]I serve as the Assistant Vice Chancellor
[00:00:50.500]for Strategic Initiatives
[00:00:51.640]here in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
[00:00:55.220]And part of my role really is to help our university
[00:00:57.920]think about diversity, equity and inclusion
[00:01:00.400]in terms of long-term planning,
[00:01:01.980]working with institutional leaderships, et cetera.
[00:01:04.450]I may be unfamiliar to some of you
[00:01:07.000]because NCLUDE is actually something in which was started
[00:01:09.920]last year under our Assistant Vice Chancellor
[00:01:11.890]for Inclusive Leadership and Learning.
[00:01:13.510]But part of our work here in Diversity and Inclusion
[00:01:16.340]is to bring you as many opportunities as we can.
[00:01:18.890]So that being said, I'll hand it off
[00:01:21.270]for other introductions.
[00:01:23.480]Hi, my name is Megan Cardwell.
[00:01:25.490]I am the Graduate Assistant for Inclusive Leadership
[00:01:28.230]and Learning at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
[00:01:31.750]So I will be kind of co-hosting here with Dr. Friday.
[00:01:37.550]And we also have another member of ODI here with us
[00:01:41.350]to help us out with hosting.
[00:01:44.723]Good morning everyone,
[00:01:45.556]I am Jerri Harner.
[00:01:46.750]I use she/her/hers pronouns and I will be assisting.
[00:01:53.780]So before we continue,
[00:01:55.980]we would like to recognize the land before this event.
[00:02:00.470]So the University of Nebraska
[00:02:02.910]is a public, land-grant institution
[00:02:05.610]with campuses and programs on past, present
[00:02:09.110]and future homelands of the Pawnee, Ponca,
[00:02:12.887]Oto-Missouria, Omaha, Dakota, Lakota,
[00:02:16.640]Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kaw Peoples, and Winnebago,
[00:02:20.970]as well as the relocated Ho-Chunk Iowa
[00:02:23.850]and Sac and Fox Peoples.
[00:02:26.070]And with this land acknowledgement,
[00:02:27.680]we affirm Native American sovereignty
[00:02:30.400]and commit to working in right relationship
[00:02:33.110]with our Native American relatives and neighbors,
[00:02:36.240]as well as with the land they were historically
[00:02:38.650]and continue to be protectors and stewards of.
[00:02:44.400]So before we continue, for those of you who just joined us,
[00:02:48.930]as you enter the meeting your camera is off
[00:02:51.280]and your microphone is muted.
[00:02:53.030]And if you have questions that pop up
[00:02:55.140]as our brilliant panelists are speaking,
[00:02:57.330]you can go ahead and pop those in the chat,
[00:02:59.450]and we'll try to keep track of those
[00:03:01.400]for the end audience Q&A session.
[00:03:04.180]And also our conversation is being recorded
[00:03:08.060]and we will make that available on the NCLUDE Page
[00:03:12.010]following the event.
[00:03:14.860]So I know we've been doing this for a while,
[00:03:16.950]but I assure you at some point,
[00:03:18.560]someone will speak when they are muted.
[00:03:20.460]So let's just go over some Zoom controls.
[00:03:23.910]On the left-hand bottom corner of your Zoom window
[00:03:27.270]you have the option to mute and unmute yourself
[00:03:30.290]or stop and start your video.
[00:03:32.430]Again, if you have questions or comments that come up
[00:03:35.110]or you need help from one of our hosts,
[00:03:37.140]go ahead and message in the chat function.
[00:03:40.510]We do have live captioning and live transcription.
[00:03:43.920]So you can use that function as well.
[00:03:45.500]And if you wanna show some love to our panelists,
[00:03:47.570]as they're speaking, you can also use your reactions
[00:03:50.980]to give a heart, some clapping, always much appreciated.
[00:03:54.410]And of course, to leave the meeting
[00:03:56.900]is in the bottom opposite hand side of the Zoom controls.
[00:04:04.210]We also want to invite you to share your pronouns,
[00:04:08.400]to try on this important element
[00:04:14.340]that will be part of our conversation today.
[00:04:16.190]So if you wanna temporarily change your name in Zoom,
[00:04:20.090]you can display your gender pronouns on Zoom.
[00:04:23.240]So if you right click your Video Box,
[00:04:25.890]you can select rename and add your personal pronouns
[00:04:29.540]to the end of your name.
[00:04:31.260]And that will for the remainder of this meeting
[00:04:34.240]share your pronouns with everybody else.
[00:04:37.090]And if you'd like to permanently change your display name,
[00:04:40.160]to always include your gender pronouns,
[00:04:42.170]you can do that through your Zoom settings.
[00:04:44.480]So if you go to Settings and click Edit
[00:04:46.270]to the right of your profile picture in your Zoom settings,
[00:04:49.360]you can add your personal pronouns,
[00:04:52.010]click okay and that will save
[00:04:53.530]for all of your future meetings.
[00:04:55.010]So at this moment,
[00:04:56.170]if you'd like to right click your video box
[00:04:58.000]and add your pronouns to your name, that would be great.
[00:05:07.790]Thank you, Megan.
[00:05:09.406]So before we start our conversation,
[00:05:12.110]I would love to talk a little bit about NCLUDE,
[00:05:15.190]and then of course our office and ways in which
[00:05:17.910]these conversations are not only I think designated
[00:05:21.360]throughout the academic year, but they are ongoing.
[00:05:24.290]So NCLUDE of course it started back in August of 2020.
[00:05:29.821]NCLUDE means Nebraska Community of Learners,
[00:05:31.810]Understanding Diversity through Education.
[00:05:34.310]And it really is designed to be this community of learners
[00:05:37.070]that are dedicated to understanding diversity
[00:05:39.470]through education.
[00:05:41.340]These are virtual conversations that we hold
[00:05:43.580]that are designed to help all of our community members,
[00:05:46.140]our staff, our students, our faculty, alum,
[00:05:48.900]and the greater community really understand and embrace
[00:05:51.290]the opportunities that we have to create a greater sense
[00:05:54.060]of inclusion for all.
[00:05:55.460]We do that through hosting a series of conversations
[00:05:58.640]that really are again,
[00:06:00.550]designed to extend what you perhaps know or even expand
[00:06:04.820]in ways in which you're thinking,
[00:06:06.230]it's designed to engage in difficult,
[00:06:07.960]sometimes difficult dialogue and conversations.
[00:06:10.420]But most importantly,
[00:06:11.253]it's a space that's really designed to talk candidly
[00:06:14.620]about inclusive excellence
[00:06:16.320]by being a part of everyday interactions.
[00:06:18.830]Last year, we hosted a number of conversations.
[00:06:21.600]We kicked off our very first session in 2020,
[00:06:25.370]and that was really designed, August 20th, 2020.
[00:06:28.163]That was our inaugural meeting.
[00:06:30.400]You can always access all of these meetings of course,
[00:06:32.980]via our diversity@unl.edu website.
[00:06:37.140]But that inaugural meeting really talked about
[00:06:40.070]the functions of ODI, our operational functions,
[00:06:42.930]our mission, and the framework of NCLUDE.
[00:06:45.580]Which again was designed to really extend
[00:06:48.090]these kinds of conversations.
[00:06:50.070]This was an opportunity to really think about
[00:06:52.010]inclusive excellence.
[00:06:52.980]We defined it through a number of definitions,
[00:06:56.180]and we also provided opportunities for learning
[00:06:58.820]through literature, et cetera.
[00:07:00.790]Those resources at our inaugural meeting
[00:07:03.100]really, I think, helped to set the stage
[00:07:05.770]for what was to come with NCLUDE.
[00:07:07.560]And then shortly after that,
[00:07:08.830]we started to host conversations with members
[00:07:11.410]of our community through UNL and our larger community.
[00:07:14.920]Our second meeting was held November, 2020,
[00:07:17.620]that actually featured Dr. Nick Pace
[00:07:19.880]who talked about privilege,
[00:07:22.160]especially privilege around white male,
[00:07:24.490]identified cis male, identified people
[00:07:27.990]and their own particular flashbulb moments.
[00:07:31.730]And part of this was to help us to think about
[00:07:34.040]here at Nebraska in particular about privilege and bias
[00:07:37.870]and personal journeys and how they can help to extend
[00:07:40.100]our own understanding.
[00:07:42.060]Shortly after that, February 18th,
[00:07:44.050]we hosted our third NCLUDE meeting,
[00:07:47.040]which featured Dr. Deb Hope or ‪Debra Hope
[00:07:50.120]who is our current Dean of Graduate Studies.
[00:07:53.050]And Mr. Nathan Woodruff,
[00:07:54.510]they're the Founders of Trans Collaborations,
[00:07:57.040]and they talked about their respect of friendship
[00:07:59.040]and how it became a community academic partnership
[00:08:01.160]that really helped trans and gender diverse people
[00:08:04.730]get better health and mental health services.
[00:08:07.800]That was one of our very first meetings
[00:08:09.390]at which we started to think about ways in which
[00:08:11.560]to gather additional resources to extend the conversation.
[00:08:15.250]Our final NCLUDE session for the academic year
[00:08:17.970]was April 16th, 2021.
[00:08:20.407]And it was a mini symposium.
[00:08:22.340]That was really designed to think about this work
[00:08:25.930]on, I think, intersecting but also larger scale.
[00:08:29.880]We had Dr. Lisa Pennisi,
[00:08:31.220]who talked about neuro diversity on campus.
[00:08:33.830]Ted Hibbeler and Dr. Melissa Zephier Olson
[00:08:36.880]talk about the impact of Indian boarding schools
[00:08:39.080]on family relationships.
[00:08:40.530]And then we had Jennifer Brown,
[00:08:42.220]presented on how to be an inclusive leader.
[00:08:44.450]That mini symposium was a great way
[00:08:46.170]for us to kind of wrap up an academic year
[00:08:49.040]that really ignited conversation.
[00:08:51.290]As we now go into this particular year,
[00:08:54.710]part our hope and part of our goals
[00:08:57.060]is not only to bring and feature a number of conversations
[00:08:59.727]for you all,
[00:09:00.800]a number of experts through their respective disciplines,
[00:09:04.140]through their lived experiences.
[00:09:05.770]But part of our hope is for you to also to contribute
[00:09:08.360]to this conversation.
[00:09:09.980]Later in this session,
[00:09:10.920]we'll talk about ways in which we're seeking your feedback.
[00:09:13.270]We've sent out a number of different mailers
[00:09:17.420]soliciting feedback.
[00:09:18.530]We're hoping that we can continue to bring opportunities
[00:09:21.520]to expand these conversations for you.
[00:09:23.760]Because NCLUDE again, we're just getting started
[00:09:25.670]on what we will offer.
[00:09:27.000]But part of our hope is that these conversations
[00:09:30.180]not only extend your thinking,
[00:09:31.730]but also that they're reflective of the needs of our campus
[00:09:34.080]and our community.
[00:09:35.840]So NCLUDE as we're wrapping or really forge
[00:09:38.700]the entire second year is really helping our office,
[00:09:41.960]the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
[00:09:43.240]really think about ways in which we're building
[00:09:44.960]our community through learning.
[00:09:46.600]And this effort is ongoing.
[00:09:49.370]As we continue this,
[00:09:50.550]we invite you to be a part of additional conversations.
[00:09:53.610]NCLUDE is your first gateway into our office,
[00:09:57.410]but we're hosting a number of things designed to do that.
[00:10:00.040]Here in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion,
[00:10:01.620]we'll hold our third annual state of diversity.
[00:10:04.290]It will be held tomorrow.
[00:10:06.060]Actually Thursday, October 28th.
[00:10:08.050]And that's when we will do a lot of reporting on the data.
[00:10:11.550]We'll talk about diversity, equity, inclusion
[00:10:13.910]on an institutional level,
[00:10:15.230]where we are at the University of Nebraska,
[00:10:17.370]where we hope to be.
[00:10:18.890]We'll also feature a number of kind of thought leaders,
[00:10:21.950]as they're thinking about this.
[00:10:23.120]We've invited panelists from across universities
[00:10:26.597]and their work this going on
[00:10:28.900]in their respective universities
[00:10:30.330]and how that connects to the work here at Nebraska.
[00:10:33.030]And we're inviting everyone to be a part of that.
[00:10:34.153]It will be live stream.
[00:10:36.600]We're hoping again, as we continue on with NCLUDE
[00:10:40.023]that you find yourself connected
[00:10:41.770]not only through this learning community,
[00:10:44.020]but it's just a gateway towards other efforts,
[00:10:46.970]held by our office.
[00:10:48.650]Additionally, we also invite you to continue
[00:10:51.290]the conversation or continue your own learning
[00:10:53.370]that you can sign up through our newsletter.
[00:10:55.110]We feature diversity, equity, inclusion efforts
[00:10:57.670]across the institution, but also within our community.
[00:11:00.610]Some promising approaches to this work.
[00:11:02.790]If you've not already signed up for the newsletter,
[00:11:04.760]we highly encourage that,
[00:11:06.050]one because it gives you an opportunity to understand
[00:11:08.750]what's happening at the university.
[00:11:10.460]But also it gives us an opportunity to hear back from you,
[00:11:13.580]our readers, who we are always soliciting stories
[00:11:16.350]on ways in which research,
[00:11:17.690]ways in which your own practices align
[00:11:19.360]with inclusive excellence
[00:11:20.720]and ways in which we can move this work forward
[00:11:22.700]here at the university collaboratively.
[00:11:25.990]Even though our office is really designated
[00:11:29.100]in kind of the leader in this effort, we are collaborators,
[00:11:32.320]which really truly are partnerships.
[00:11:34.510]So NCLUDE hopefully will show you
[00:11:36.970]part of what we hope to do through our own developing
[00:11:40.610]of your own learning in this space.
[00:11:41.990]But also as you all are helping us do the same.
[00:11:44.460]So we're soliciting your help.
[00:11:45.680]We're also soliciting ongoing feedback.
[00:11:48.170]Any of those ways are ways that you can join us
[00:11:50.590]in this effort towards really moving the needle
[00:11:53.680]and progressing inclusive excellence here
[00:11:56.130]at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
[00:11:58.860]So with all of that being said,
[00:12:00.636]I would like to now kind of pass this off
[00:12:04.180]so that we can really get started with our panelists
[00:12:07.610]for today.
[00:12:08.960]This is a very critical conversation.
[00:12:11.220]The work that's happening here at Nebraska,
[00:12:14.750]all the practices are great,
[00:12:15.840]but when we start to make changes in policy,
[00:12:18.110]they're even more important.
[00:12:20.040]So what we will do now,
[00:12:22.700]we will now introduce our panelists.
[00:12:25.080]And we have a great set of panelists
[00:12:26.910]who not only are invested in this work personally,
[00:12:30.050]but many of their skills,
[00:12:31.720]their expertise are from lived experiences,
[00:12:33.580]but also their own expertise in these fields.
[00:12:37.220]So Megan don't you want to introduce the panelists,
[00:12:39.630]or should I keep going?
[00:12:40.463]'Cause I can keep talking by the way.
[00:12:42.290]You go for it.
[00:12:43.170]You're doing great.
[00:12:44.650]So we have a number of panelists.
[00:12:46.930]As you all can see, hopefully on your screen
[00:12:49.180]and I'll start of course based off what I can see as well.
[00:12:52.200]We have Pat Tetreault, using pronouns she or any.
[00:12:55.990]Pat serves as Director of the LGBTQA+ Center
[00:12:58.950]and Women's Centers.
[00:13:00.470]We also have JD McCown, using pronouns they/them.
[00:13:04.709]Them JD serves as the Assistant Director
[00:13:06.020]of the LGBTQA+ Center.
[00:13:08.770]We also have Jen Skidmore, they/them.
[00:13:11.400]Director of Student Development
[00:13:12.970]in College of Engineering.
[00:13:14.150]A side note, Jen and I met a few years ago.
[00:13:17.650]I say this every time, Jen,
[00:13:19.110]but I constantly forget that they served
[00:13:20.700]on my Search Committee and it's always great.
[00:13:23.830]I like to think I made a great choice,
[00:13:25.330]but I leave that for Jen.
[00:13:27.460]We also have involved as a part of this, Steve Booton,
[00:13:30.600]who uses pronouns he/him.
[00:13:33.380]The University Registrar in the Office
[00:13:35.360]of the University Registrar.
[00:13:37.310]And then we have Corrie Svehla, he/him.
[00:13:40.410]Client Services Coordinator in IT Client Services.
[00:13:43.790]I think these are great titles, but if we're being honest,
[00:13:46.630]these individuals are a lot more than the titles
[00:13:49.840]that they have.
[00:13:51.190]This conversation is a critical one
[00:13:52.940]as we're thinking about gender equity,
[00:13:54.640]we're thinking about really expanding how we think
[00:13:57.630]of gender at the University of Nebraska.
[00:14:00.010]I just actually received an update
[00:14:01.960]and perhaps you all did too,
[00:14:03.510]that we now officially in the US have designated
[00:14:07.380]a non-binary identifier on our passports.
[00:14:10.200]And this was actually as of today.
[00:14:12.240]So I think this conversation thinking
[00:14:13.530]about gender diversity, non-binary identities
[00:14:16.330]is a critical one.
[00:14:17.430]And at Nebraska, many of these individuals served
[00:14:20.410]on that Executive Memorandum 40 committee.
[00:14:23.080]And so as we start this conversation,
[00:14:25.460]these are individuals who can talk to us about
[00:14:27.420]not just the technical components which are so critical
[00:14:29.820]for many of us who serve as faculty and staff
[00:14:32.252]and as students,
[00:14:34.010]but perhaps they can even educate us
[00:14:36.060]on ways in which we can become better advocates,
[00:14:38.410]better allies and what our role is.
[00:14:40.550]Especially our roles, if we want to not only partake,
[00:14:44.100]which is a critical aspect, but our role in this regard,
[00:14:47.140]in terms of how we continue to uphold policies
[00:14:49.690]that are inclusive.
[00:14:51.950]And some of us, of course look at this as one step forward,
[00:14:55.260]we have a lot of work to still do in this space,
[00:14:57.357]but it's absolutely a step forward in this direction.
[00:15:00.510]So please join me in welcoming our panelists.
[00:15:04.870]And I will hand this off for a great conversation
[00:15:07.930]and a sincere thank you to all of you
[00:15:10.180]for serving in this capacity.
[00:15:11.930]Especially I'd know
[00:15:12.810]that this is a kind of an important month right now
[00:15:15.700]that's happening, especially for our LGBTQA+ Center.
[00:15:18.700]So for you all to help,
[00:15:20.380]especially for you all on committees,
[00:15:21.890]the Chancellor's Commission, I know the dedication here.
[00:15:24.300]So thank you all so much for joining us
[00:15:26.620]and I'll hand it off for question.
[00:15:30.830]Okay.
[00:15:31.710]So thank you for those introductions
[00:15:35.140]and thank you to all of our panelists for being here.
[00:15:38.800]This is a very busy month.
[00:15:41.130]LGBTQA+ History Month for a lot of the folks
[00:15:45.010]that are joining us today.
[00:15:45.960]So thank you to them for being here for us.
[00:15:50.060]My first question, so beforehand we sent to our community
[00:15:55.120]a link where they can read the Executive Memorandum,
[00:15:57.910]the policy and the Nebraska Today article.
[00:16:01.050]And they included a lot of great information in there
[00:16:04.500]about kind of pronouns and about what this policy means.
[00:16:10.440]We've also seen an uptake of people using pronouns
[00:16:13.970]and interest in the Pronouns 101 Training
[00:16:16.780]that the LGBTQA+ Center offers.
[00:16:21.190]But what I'd love to start off with is for,
[00:16:24.830]particular Jen and JD to share with us the background,
[00:16:28.850]the experiences of non-binary faculty, staff and students
[00:16:31.960]on campus to kind of set the stage for us
[00:16:34.020]of why this Executive Memorandum is so important.
[00:16:39.520]Absolutely.
[00:16:40.710]Thank you all so much for being here today.
[00:16:43.520]The biggest thing that I was thinking about
[00:16:45.610]when I was kind of like mulling over this question
[00:16:47.500]of kind of where to start,
[00:16:49.170]I'm gonna start with my own personal experience,
[00:16:51.310]because I have had experience as a student,
[00:16:54.080]a graduate student,
[00:16:54.930]and then as a professional staff member as well,
[00:16:57.710]and kind of how it changed over time
[00:17:00.950]when I was in undergrad,
[00:17:03.350]and like when I was first like exploring pronouns
[00:17:05.527]and that kind of stuff.
[00:17:07.140]It wasn't quite as common for us to be talking about
[00:17:09.810]using they/them pronouns,
[00:17:11.420]certainly not talking as much about neopronouns.
[00:17:14.914]Or maybe like ze/zir pronouns, pe/pers,
[00:17:19.400]some of the pronouns that we are seeing more regularly now
[00:17:22.950]that wasn't as much of a thing.
[00:17:26.720]Or not as much of a known thing, that's what I'm gonna say.
[00:17:30.420]Because a lot of people have been using
[00:17:33.020]the kind of gender neutral pronouns for a really long time.
[00:17:36.210]But it was something that didn't get as much coverage
[00:17:40.090]and was something that if it was brought up
[00:17:43.050]to like either, like other undergraduate students,
[00:17:45.870]graduate students, staff, faculty,
[00:17:47.590]it wasn't always respected.
[00:17:50.770]And we still do have some of that now
[00:17:52.940]where we're in the process of becoming more knowledgeable
[00:17:57.770]about pronouns and making sure that we're asking
[00:18:00.580]and respecting the pronouns
[00:18:01.900]once we know the person's pronouns.
[00:18:04.140]But we certainly have come at least a little bit away
[00:18:07.010]since I was in undergrad.
[00:18:09.190]And so, as I was kind of moving through
[00:18:11.740]and became a professional staff member,
[00:18:14.600]I really kind of got to see how we can definitely say yes,
[00:18:21.110]we are here for diversity.
[00:18:22.690]We wanna make sure that we're respecting people's identities
[00:18:26.210]and not always understanding that pronouns
[00:18:28.790]and gender identity is a huge portion of that
[00:18:31.300]for a lot of people.
[00:18:32.700]And so I wish that I could say that like,
[00:18:36.240]I've had this great experience of like,
[00:18:38.750]yes, everyone has respected my pronouns
[00:18:40.920]as I've like used they/them pronouns for seven years,
[00:18:45.680]something like that at this point.
[00:18:47.790]But that isn't the case.
[00:18:49.490]And so it's something that is super important
[00:18:52.470]because that is something that is in my daily life.
[00:18:56.550]It is in the daily life of almost every single one
[00:18:59.090]of my students and staff that are working here
[00:19:02.300]at the LGBTQA+ Center.
[00:19:04.230]And of course, all of the students that we have on campus,
[00:19:08.170]just because we are more knowledgeable about pronouns
[00:19:10.980]in kind of general doesn't mean that we're great about
[00:19:13.890]making sure that we use them and practice.
[00:19:16.776]And so that was something that I really wanted to make sure
[00:19:21.310]to drive home here today,
[00:19:22.260]is because we have this policy that is great
[00:19:25.240]and is a great step forward to say,
[00:19:27.310]we need to be making sure that
[00:19:29.240]the burden of kind of sharing pronouns is for everyone.
[00:19:32.760]It's not just for trans people.
[00:19:35.480]And part of that is making sure that our systems
[00:19:38.260]are welcoming.
[00:19:40.010]That we don't have to put pronouns
[00:19:41.940]in all of these different systems
[00:19:43.760]that they actually talk to each other,
[00:19:45.780]that we actually make sure that even once we have
[00:19:48.670]all those systems in place,
[00:19:49.740]that we use them and that they are respected.
[00:19:52.330]So this is a great step forward.
[00:19:55.680]And I think that we have quite a way still to go.
[00:20:01.560]Thanks, JD.
[00:20:02.393]And thank you.
[00:20:03.226]Yes, I wanna say thanks again everyone for being here
[00:20:05.380]and for having us.
[00:20:07.490]My name is Jen and I use they/them pronouns.
[00:20:09.660]And I'll also start with kind of my own context and response
[00:20:13.700]to this question, Megan,
[00:20:16.400]about kind of the impact and lived experience.
[00:20:19.800]I identify as trans non-binary.
[00:20:21.590]And I have worked at UNL for almost 7 1/2 years,
[00:20:27.550]but I only started understanding my own gender identity
[00:20:32.470]maybe in the last like three
[00:20:34.380]and then exploring what that meant for my pronouns.
[00:20:39.860]So I have really been coming out around my gender identity
[00:20:44.020]as an employee here.
[00:20:45.430]And so it's been a shift for my colleagues
[00:20:47.610]and the people I supervise, some of which are here.
[00:20:49.910]Hello, thank you for being here, employees and friends.
[00:20:54.030]And students I work with,
[00:20:57.030]I have multiple roles as a staff member
[00:20:59.300]who works individually with students, supervising staff,
[00:21:02.280]working on teams and committees.
[00:21:03.900]And I also teach.
[00:21:05.130]So I have an opportunity to kind of model some of this
[00:21:08.300]for students in the classroom
[00:21:11.400]and in their experiences with us.
[00:21:13.210]And I think a lot about the idea of impact versus intent.
[00:21:23.389]That's not my concept, right?
[00:21:25.390]But folks' intention with trying to use my pronouns,
[00:21:32.090]which have changed in the last year from she/they,
[00:21:34.830]to they/she to they/them,
[00:21:38.260]and the impact that it has when people get them right,
[00:21:44.680]and how that feels.
[00:21:48.330]And then the impact on me when it gets overlooked
[00:21:54.050]and that someone uses she/her pronouns
[00:21:56.460]and whether or not the intent was to try really hard
[00:22:01.210]or be practicing that and be mindful of it.
[00:22:06.014]And I'm coming from a place too where a decade ago,
[00:22:11.220]I was the one saying they/them pronouns are hard
[00:22:13.390]and it's new to me and I'm gonna try
[00:22:14.930]and I'm gonna practice that for people around me.
[00:22:18.810]And now I find myself in that role
[00:22:20.880]where I hope that others around me
[00:22:22.600]are doing that same thing.
[00:22:24.060]And an example recently I can point to is,
[00:22:28.760]a time when a colleague used she/her pronouns
[00:22:32.890]while thanking me for my work in a particular project.
[00:22:37.660]And then basically cut off the conversation
[00:22:41.570]right after that to end the Zoom call we were on.
[00:22:45.150]And I didn't even have an opportunity to interrupt that
[00:22:48.200]and to say like, hey, like I appreciate your gratitude.
[00:22:53.660]Can you please use they/them pronouns.
[00:22:55.660]The person didn't recognize it themselves.
[00:22:57.510]And I bring this up not to pinpoint these things happen,
[00:23:03.040]but to say, I don't think many cis people understand,
[00:23:07.410]or even trans people that,
[00:23:09.030]I think trans people understand this,
[00:23:10.300]but I don't think many cis people understand that like
[00:23:14.850]the impact of that is then for an hour afterwards,
[00:23:18.310]I'm questioning to myself and texting JD and being like,
[00:23:22.600]is my identity valid?
[00:23:24.080]Like does this really matter that I feel really weird now
[00:23:27.890]about this?
[00:23:28.723]And then why am I thinking about it for 90 minutes
[00:23:31.010]or two hours?
[00:23:32.400]And just the emotional impact that, that has
[00:23:35.420]that I would now describe looking back on those two hours
[00:23:38.390]as like kind of a little bit of a spiral
[00:23:40.340]in my own gender identity.
[00:23:41.770]And like not a very fun experience, I would have to say.
[00:23:45.350]Even when it starts with some very small
[00:23:47.890]unintentional things,
[00:23:48.723]it had a pretty big impact on me that evening
[00:23:50.710]is what I'm trying to say.
[00:23:54.441]I work with folks who are really good
[00:23:56.960]about using my pronouns most of the time.
[00:24:00.360]And I was telling my partner who is also trans that
[00:24:05.180]I have some colleagues who I feel make a really good attempt
[00:24:09.040]to continually use they/them pronouns.
[00:24:10.820]And I was describing it as,
[00:24:12.540]I work with colleagues who quote unquote,
[00:24:14.250]go out of their way to use they/them pronouns.
[00:24:17.160]And my partner was like, that's not going out of their way.
[00:24:20.400]That is the bare minimum.
[00:24:21.880]That is the bar.
[00:24:23.870]And so I do wanna validate too though,
[00:24:26.440]that I do see when it does feel like
[00:24:30.120]a significant positive impact
[00:24:31.670]when people do gender me correctly.
[00:24:36.120]And don't try to just avoid using pronouns with me.
[00:24:38.900]So I think there's a lot of impact there.
[00:24:40.770]I work with, oSTEM ,our LGBTQA+ student org
[00:24:46.270]for students in STEM majors at UNL.
[00:24:48.940]And working with them and hearing from them.
[00:24:53.310]Impact that that has in their classrooms,
[00:24:55.520]regardless of what their major is,
[00:24:57.440]when an instructor responds really well to their email
[00:25:02.600]at the start of class.
[00:25:03.433]Hi, my name is Jen.
[00:25:04.450]I use they/them pronouns.
[00:25:05.380]If you could respect this in the classroom, that'd be great.
[00:25:07.290]And if a faculty member says,
[00:25:08.480]thank you for letting me know this, I'll do my best.
[00:25:12.480]That it goes a long way for them.
[00:25:15.109]So I think from a student perspective too,
[00:25:17.230]it feels like, yes, it's a low bar,
[00:25:19.570]but it's these policies of this policy
[00:25:23.170]and these systems that we're working on integrating
[00:25:24.930]these things into are important.
[00:25:27.650]But they're just a way to enable us
[00:25:29.430]to have folks have a good experience
[00:25:32.810]while they're on campus, no matter what their role is.
[00:25:37.430]Thank you, Jen and JD.
[00:25:39.570]Those were great insights.
[00:25:40.640]And thank you for sharing your own personal experience.
[00:25:43.660]I know that can be vulnerable,
[00:25:44.860]but that's really profound for all of us.
[00:25:47.360]So I wanna remind you,
[00:25:48.340]if you have a question or even a personal resonance
[00:25:52.580]that you want to post in the chat, feel free to do that.
[00:25:57.590]So getting into more of the logistics side of things.
[00:26:01.760]What is EM 40 just in its basic most sense, Pat?
[00:26:05.750]Can you talk to us a little bit about what EM 40 is?
[00:26:09.640]Sure.
[00:26:11.541]EM 40 is basically a chosen named gender identity
[00:26:15.770]and pronoun policy for the system,
[00:26:18.970]the University of Nebraska.
[00:26:21.300]And so what it does is it creates a way for people
[00:26:26.510]to be recognized based on how they identify
[00:26:30.250]and how they would like to be referred to.
[00:26:33.150]And it basically lets people optionally opt in or not.
[00:26:40.970]So it allows people make the choice of when and how
[00:26:46.560]they present their chosen name or the name they go by
[00:26:51.850]and the pronouns they want used for them.
[00:26:54.190]And as Jen said, there's a process for people too,
[00:26:58.270]because we live in a society where that is not a recognized
[00:27:03.200]and understood concept.
[00:27:06.720]That gender identity is a spectrum and a social construct.
[00:27:11.170]So what it does is it allows people to,
[00:27:15.270]where they're able to indicate their gender identity,
[00:27:19.780]if they choose, they can indicate their chosen name,
[00:27:23.650]sometimes referred to as preferred name.
[00:27:26.380]I often say the name people go by.
[00:27:30.210]But it also allows for people
[00:27:36.900]to then have their identity recognized.
[00:27:40.740]And I think that doing something to eliminate invisibility,
[00:27:49.010]because in particular I think,
[00:27:51.250]non-binary identities are very invisible in our society.
[00:27:56.240]And as people are transitioning,
[00:27:58.500]even if it's a binary transition for a trans man
[00:28:01.880]or a trans woman,
[00:28:03.820]being able to have that self identification
[00:28:09.440]and how you want people to see you
[00:28:11.850]and refer to you acknowledged and accepted
[00:28:15.110]is just so essential.
[00:28:16.790]And so, again, it's optional.
[00:28:20.310]People when they are able to opt into that,
[00:28:26.240]it really does help people recognize that the institution
[00:28:31.460]is making an attempt to help validate their identities
[00:28:36.130]in a society where that is not always happening.
[00:28:39.910]And so there's a lot of different things
[00:28:43.510]in the policy itself.
[00:28:45.530]So basically using chosen name and pronouns,
[00:28:50.440]wherever it is possible.
[00:28:52.470]And the policy itself will lay out where that's possible
[00:28:56.210]and where legal name and legal sex will have to be used.
[00:29:03.430]So that would take a lot of time to go through all of that.
[00:29:07.490]So it is in the policy.
[00:29:10.000]People will get the link for that so they can review it.
[00:29:13.830]And if they do have questions,
[00:29:15.590]they can also contact us and we can help them
[00:29:18.600]better understand it.
[00:29:22.720]Awesome.
[00:29:23.553]Thank you Pat.
[00:29:24.386]Yes, it's a lot of language
[00:29:26.090]and a lot of kind of different elements to it.
[00:29:30.340]So that was a great summary of kind of what this means
[00:29:33.860]for us.
[00:29:34.693]So in continuing thinking about what this means for us,
[00:29:37.580]I think it's important to figure out,
[00:29:39.890]okay, how do we change our pronouns or enter our pronouns
[00:29:44.300]in our new system?
[00:29:46.320]So what I wanna do is we're gonna share a quick simple video
[00:29:50.910]to start us off, orient us to how to enter our pronouns
[00:29:54.710]into our systems.
[00:29:55.710]And then we have some great people here,
[00:29:59.550]Steve and Corrie are going to help us with a conversation
[00:30:02.700]about the IT and tech side of this.
[00:30:05.790]So let me go ahead and share this video with you.
[00:30:13.030]And we will get that to be larger because it's very small.
[00:30:20.283]Okay.
[00:30:21.116](gentle music begins)
[00:30:24.320]Chosen Name, Pronouns and Gender Identity
[00:30:27.510]at the University of Nebraska.
[00:30:30.150]With the adoption of Executive Memorandum 40
[00:30:33.140]the University of Nebraska allows for individuals
[00:30:35.770]to specify their chosen name,
[00:30:37.600]preferred pronouns and gender identity
[00:30:39.970]within official systems.
[00:30:42.300]This information is entered in a single location.
[00:30:45.280]Firefly for employees and campus dashboards for students,
[00:30:49.310]and then recognized and displayed where appropriate
[00:30:52.120]in other university systems, which support it.
[00:30:55.270]In the case of chosen name, this does not change
[00:30:58.180]an individual's official name of record.
[00:31:00.610]It simply allows for the chosen name
[00:31:02.520]to be displayed where possible
[00:31:04.490]within the university community.
[00:31:08.330]Faculty and staff at the university
[00:31:10.640]should update their information in the Firefly portal.
[00:31:14.220]Students should change their information
[00:31:16.177]and their campus PeopleSoft portals,
[00:31:18.630]known as MyRED, MavLINK, MyBLUE or MyRecords
[00:31:22.680]for the UNL, UNO, UNK and UNMC campuses respectively.
[00:31:28.190]Let's take a look at how.
[00:31:31.230]For employees, first log into Firefly,
[00:31:34.720]enter the employee self-service portal
[00:31:37.030]and click About Me.
[00:31:39.810]Below your name, click the identity tab if needed.
[00:31:43.690]Any fields which you're allowed to edit on your own,
[00:31:46.230]such as chosen name, gender identity, and pronouns
[00:31:48.937]will have a pencil icon next to them.
[00:31:51.960]Click the pencil icon and enter
[00:31:54.360]or select from available choices to make a change
[00:31:57.410]or click the trashcan icon to remove an item.
[00:32:00.920]Make sure to click save on the bottom of the page.
[00:32:04.440]Note that any changes made here may take up to 24 hours
[00:32:08.240]to show up in other systems,
[00:32:10.260]and not all systems within the university
[00:32:12.470]may be able to display these items at this time.
[00:32:16.900]For students, use the PeopleSoft portal
[00:32:19.410]for your own campus.
[00:32:21.050]The look will vary from campus to campus,
[00:32:23.350]but the process is generally the same.
[00:32:26.970]Look for a section named profile or my information,
[00:32:30.460]and then sections for names, gender identity, and pronouns.
[00:32:39.060]From here, you'll be able to add or update
[00:32:41.423]a preferred or chosen name,
[00:32:43.450]or select, edit, or delete gender identity or pronouns
[00:32:47.050]with the edit or delete buttons.
[00:32:49.580]These updates will get pushed out to
[00:32:51.610]and display within most university systems
[00:32:54.040]where appropriate.
[00:32:56.550]Some systems such as Zoom may allow users control over if
[00:33:01.420]and how pronouns are displayed.
[00:33:03.930]For Zoom, you can find these settings
[00:33:05.900]by logging into your campus' Zoom portal.
[00:33:10.060]Once you've logged in, click profile
[00:33:12.410]on the left side navigation.
[00:33:14.490]If pronouns have been received in Zoom from our systems,
[00:33:17.580]they will be displayed in the section with your name,
[00:33:20.240]along with how Zoom is going to present them.
[00:33:23.400]If you wish to change how pronouns are displayed
[00:33:25.620]within Zoom, click the edit link to the right.
[00:33:30.140]You can select from three options
[00:33:31.680]on how you'd like your pronouns to display.
[00:33:34.370]Always share in meetings and webinars.
[00:33:36.450]Ask me every time after joining meetings and webinars,
[00:33:39.580]or do not share in meetings and webinars.
[00:33:43.880]Additionally, while in a Zoom meeting,
[00:33:46.170]you can toggle between sharing and unsharing pronouns.
[00:33:50.110]To do so, click the participants button
[00:33:52.390]at the bottom of the screen, and then mouse over your name,
[00:33:55.580]click the blue more button and choose to share or unshare.
[00:33:59.660]This will have an immediate effect,
[00:34:01.430]but only for the current meeting your attending.
[00:34:04.360]Note, in order for pronouns to display within Zoom,
[00:34:07.410]users must have an updated version of the Zoom client,
[00:34:10.495]5.7 or higher.
[00:34:13.670]As mentioned previously, changes made in these systems
[00:34:16.670]will propagate to other appropriate university systems
[00:34:19.710]and be displayed where possible.
[00:34:21.940]However, it may take up to 24 hours
[00:34:24.330]for those systems to update.
[00:34:25.880]And some systems may not be able to display,
[00:34:28.180]chosen name and pronouns at this time.
[00:34:31.680]ITS will continue to work to allow chosen name and pronouns,
[00:34:34.960]to display in appropriate campus systems,
[00:34:37.590]as vendors of those systems create the functionality
[00:34:40.350]within their products.
[00:34:42.160](gentle music)
[00:34:49.230]Okay.
[00:34:50.063]Let's find those in controls.
[00:34:53.480]Okay.
[00:34:54.313]So I think that video was helpful.
[00:34:58.030]But let's have Steve and or Corrie
[00:35:01.560]kind of chime in a little bit on,
[00:35:03.700]is there anything that you'd like to add to that video
[00:35:06.370]that you think would be helpful for us to know
[00:35:08.500]as we start editing our pronouns in these systems?
[00:35:12.210]Sure, I can add something to it.
[00:35:15.640]So some people are both an employee and a student
[00:35:18.580]on our campus.
[00:35:19.910]And if you're one of those individuals,
[00:35:22.280]you can go either place Firefly or ti MyRED
[00:35:24.880]to update your pronouns and gender identity information
[00:35:27.500]or your chosen name.
[00:35:28.810]Basically what we did is we've created a sync
[00:35:31.790]between the two systems to keep them in sync
[00:35:33.840]with each other.
[00:35:34.845]So the place that you go to update will end up updating
[00:35:38.160]both your employment record, as well as your student record,
[00:35:40.720]if you have those kinds of dual roles.
[00:35:44.640]So I put in a little bit more background information out,
[00:35:47.650]Pat, and I have had some questions overall
[00:35:49.720]about how this appears in for MyRED or Share Students
[00:35:53.851]and if their parents can see it and things like that.
[00:35:55.880]So one of the things is your parents can see it
[00:35:58.360]if you give them your credentials.
[00:36:00.750]So if you give your parents an alternate ID
[00:36:03.870]or a visitor guest ID to your account,
[00:36:06.760]that will not be a visible field.
[00:36:08.540]So they won't be able to see the pronouns.
[00:36:11.190]I think Steve,
[00:36:12.023]we're working on a few other things there too, right?
[00:36:15.770]So there's a separation.
[00:36:18.210]Yes, absolutely.
[00:36:19.230]Yeah.
[00:36:20.063]So yes, part of the intent is that,
[00:36:23.950]if a student does not wanna share with their parent,
[00:36:27.040]they don't need to.
[00:36:27.910]But that would be one of the things is that,
[00:36:30.750]we just need to make sure students are aware
[00:36:32.780]if they're going to share their actual own credentials
[00:36:36.410]with their parents or with someone else
[00:36:39.260]that obviously that person can go in
[00:36:41.540]and see their information.
[00:36:43.800]And as far as the student IDs,
[00:36:45.800]the preferred name or chosen name
[00:36:47.980]as Pat and I were talking about is printed
[00:36:49.920]on the front of the ID now.
[00:36:51.840]And the legal name is now on the back of the ID.
[00:36:54.950]That's been going on for a while now,
[00:36:56.700]but it's now solidified for all campuses
[00:36:59.870]to do the same thing for every ID.
[00:37:01.950]And so what this project and process of this has given us,
[00:37:07.080]is it's given us essentially an even playing field
[00:37:10.160]for faculty and staff also to have these options
[00:37:15.020]in their systems.
[00:37:16.383]That was the one big lag that we've had,
[00:37:18.320]is we've been providing these services for students.
[00:37:21.880]But pronouns are not part of the NUID or any ID system.
[00:37:25.842]That's not a part of the project right now.
[00:37:28.940]Zoom and Canvas are currently the two big systems
[00:37:33.170]that are in taking pronouns and preferred names,
[00:37:36.250]chosen names.
[00:37:38.770]There are other systems being worked on
[00:37:41.570]that currently don't have that,
[00:37:43.750]but it will be basically as they do roll that out
[00:37:48.270]and notify the campus what those systems will be.
[00:37:51.900]Let me think.
[00:37:52.733]I have a couple other notes here.
[00:37:55.900]I can add a couple of things.
[00:37:57.070]So just so folks know that,
[00:37:59.673]one of the things that we've been asked frequently
[00:38:01.730]about is MyPLAN.
[00:38:05.230]What we're trying to do is target systems
[00:38:07.270]that when it comes to pronouns,
[00:38:09.390]we're trying to target systems that support interactions
[00:38:15.330]between individuals and make that information available
[00:38:18.890]to support those interactions.
[00:38:20.160]And so obviously MyPLAN is one of those systems
[00:38:21.883]that support interactions.
[00:38:23.970]And MyPLAN as a system itself does not have
[00:38:31.930]that designated place for pronouns.
[00:38:34.580]So what're doing is we're gonna be adding it into the system
[00:38:37.770]as attributes.
[00:38:38.660]We've done this with other things in the system,
[00:38:41.410]should be there in the next few weeks.
[00:38:44.963]Our target is mid November to have that available.
[00:38:47.910]And there's other systems like that.
[00:38:49.790]I know in MyRED you think about class rosters
[00:38:52.550]and things like that we are targeting.
[00:38:55.360]Our friends at cis are working on that.
[00:38:58.580]They're working on that.
[00:39:00.200]I just double check their schedule.
[00:39:03.640]They have it slated as their work being done
[00:39:05.950]in quarters four and quarters one.
[00:39:08.120]So they work within quarters.
[00:39:10.160]And so after the new year, towards the end of quarter one,
[00:39:15.400]you should see a lot of those changes
[00:39:16.670]start coming into MyRED as well.
[00:39:19.660]And one of the things too is this is all or nothing system
[00:39:23.240]turn on right now.
[00:39:24.073]There's not you can't turn it off for one piece
[00:39:26.190]and turn it on for another.
[00:39:27.300]So once you enter this information in,
[00:39:29.820]the goal is that it will flow down to all the other systems.
[00:39:32.348]As we were discussing earlier, we don't want, like JD said,
[00:39:36.800]they don't want to have to enter these in multiple systems
[00:39:40.210]and have to go here and here and here.
[00:39:41.600]Did I do this, or did I do that kind of situation.
[00:39:45.040]And so that was one of the big things
[00:39:46.770]that we talked a lot about in the policy
[00:39:49.410]and implementation of this policy was,
[00:39:52.277]we want it to be a one portal kind of way
[00:39:56.410]so that people wouldn't have to search around
[00:39:59.280]and decide what they've done or what they haven't done.
[00:40:01.820]So that's the long-term goal, right Steve?
[00:40:04.700]I mean, we wanna make it as easy as possible
[00:40:06.680]for everybody in the technical aspects of this.
[00:40:10.520]And we are getting there.
[00:40:12.780]And I know this is a horrible thing to have to say,
[00:40:14.910]but there are so many systems out there
[00:40:16.617]and if we're missing something that you see out there,
[00:40:19.268]just let the team know,
[00:40:21.850]and we can work on putting that in there.
[00:40:23.950]And sometimes it's a departmental system or a college system
[00:40:26.960]that may need some help integrating,
[00:40:29.550]and then we will work with those groups to make sure
[00:40:32.200]that we can get that information in there.
[00:40:37.690]Yeah, that's great.
[00:40:39.830]I think that language of kind of targeting systems
[00:40:43.520]that facilitate interactions between people
[00:40:46.440]kind of helps me think about the choices being made
[00:40:48.999]with the layout and the rollout.
[00:40:51.870]So is there anything else you have to mention to us
[00:40:55.220]about kind of timelines of integrating these systems
[00:40:59.500]or anything like that?
[00:41:02.940]I mentioned a couple of the systems and the timelines
[00:41:06.220]that they'd being worked on.
[00:41:07.310]And Corrie mentioned how we literally have hundreds
[00:41:11.250]of systems on our campus.
[00:41:13.480]And so what we're trying to do is target the systems
[00:41:19.310]that support the largest number of interactions first
[00:41:25.040]or what we consider sensitive interactions.
[00:41:32.980]Now of course, there's some lower hanging fruits
[00:41:35.970]that you can, and some things that are big.
[00:41:37.740]Like MyRED it takes months of development
[00:41:40.110]to get it all done, because it's a very large system.
[00:41:43.190]So there's some low-hanging fruits to get along the way
[00:41:45.570]that are easy to do.
[00:41:49.770]Basically what I can say is,
[00:41:51.370]each quarter that you'll see more and more systems
[00:41:56.700]become available with the information in it.
[00:42:00.710]I talk to people about learning to transition,
[00:42:03.140]we've got the policy and now we're implementing
[00:42:06.030]across the board and we'll be working on that regularly
[00:42:09.880]as we move forward.
[00:42:13.680]Thank you.
[00:42:15.340]So my next question is thinking about
[00:42:18.440]as faculty, staff and even students.
[00:42:23.660]So it's important to think about the repercussions
[00:42:26.380]one would face if they don't follow this policy,
[00:42:29.540]or if they violate this policy.
[00:42:31.010]And I reached out to the Department
[00:42:34.180]of Institutional Equity and Compliance on campus
[00:42:38.160]to kind of ask them about this and their response was that,
[00:42:41.950]essentially it's tricky, right?
[00:42:43.360]To determine if this policy is being violated.
[00:42:46.900]But essentially if someone is actively refusing
[00:42:49.680]to acknowledge someone else's pronouns or gender identity,
[00:42:53.660]that constitutes discrimination,
[00:42:55.820]which is a reportable violation on UNL's campus.
[00:43:00.680]So we can use the tips of reporting system of course,
[00:43:03.460]to report those things.
[00:43:05.620]But for our panelists,
[00:43:06.910]we'd love to know what are your thoughts
[00:43:08.580]on either supporting an individual who has been violated?
[00:43:13.400]Do you have any thoughts on avenues to pursue
[00:43:17.010]if we believe that this policy is being violated?
[00:43:22.090]Again, I just wanna chime in and reiterate
[00:43:24.000]what you said, Megan.
[00:43:25.000]Because I've supported a student in recent months
[00:43:31.870]who was facing what they believe
[00:43:34.610]is intentional mis-gendering.
[00:43:38.355]And that process has felt supportive to the student
[00:43:41.800]to access reporting structures.
[00:43:46.200]So I think while there isn't much of a precedence yet
[00:43:52.812]on campus with how these things work,
[00:43:55.480]I think it is helpful to students who feel like
[00:43:59.480]they want to go that route,
[00:44:00.930]where they want to put in a formal complaint,
[00:44:03.660]or even have a mediation conversation
[00:44:07.610]that those resources exist on campus.
[00:44:11.360]And there are folks willing to help the students
[00:44:14.640]with those things.
[00:44:15.960]And so I've seen that be helpful to the student,
[00:44:19.320]but it is as with most reporting, sometimes it feels,
[00:44:23.710]especially in the student side,
[00:44:24.780]it can feel like a little bit of a risk,
[00:44:27.620]even though there's policies in place around retaliation.
[00:44:31.960]Not being allowed it doesn't mean that it doesn't occur,
[00:44:36.100]but there are options for students within that.
[00:44:39.290]And so I would just recommend to others who work directly
[00:44:43.940]with students to let them know their options
[00:44:48.850]in cases where they're sharing with you
[00:44:50.630]they feel like they need support.
[00:44:53.000]And I would also, something I found helpful
[00:44:59.110]for the trans and non-binary students I work with
[00:45:01.110]is to also just connect them with others
[00:45:04.310]who share their identities to find a community of support,
[00:45:07.770]because sometimes they're not ready
[00:45:09.410]or don't want to ever take steps to do a formal process,
[00:45:14.910]but to find others who share some experiences
[00:45:20.360]to at least have a connection and a support net for them.
[00:45:26.470]So connecting them with JD,
[00:45:28.880]I think is something I've done before.
[00:45:30.650]And also just the student groups that exist on campus
[00:45:35.180]can be another good resource for students experiencing that.
[00:45:39.660]I also think that it's important for people
[00:45:42.510]to realize that somebody making a mistake
[00:45:45.340]or not doing this well is very different
[00:45:48.460]than intentionally mis-gendering and disrespecting people.
[00:45:52.280]So I think that the example that was listed in the chat
[00:45:56.270]is an accentuation where you have an individual,
[00:45:59.390]who's basically saying,
[00:46:00.800]I refuse to respect people's gender, identity and pronouns.
[00:46:05.660]And so this is where everybody can use their voice
[00:46:11.880]to correct people and to speak up
[00:46:17.070]and support of respecting people's identities.
[00:46:21.800]And one of the things that I often tell people is,
[00:46:25.330]you don't have to understand this.
[00:46:27.330]You need to accept it.
[00:46:30.320]Understanding may come,
[00:46:31.680]but more important is that acceptance.
[00:46:36.020]And one of the things in the comments said was,
[00:46:39.200]I refuse to go to that way of thinking.
[00:46:42.150]Well you know what?
[00:46:43.540]Everybody is entitled to what they think,
[00:46:46.810]but that does not mean they are entitled to voice that
[00:46:51.730]in a way that is disrespectful to other people
[00:46:54.860]or to behave disrespectfully.
[00:46:57.470]So if there is somebody who is doing that,
[00:47:00.570]it needs to be addressed.
[00:47:02.210]So along with support is also accountability.
[00:47:05.960]And when there is a refusal by someone,
[00:47:09.960]whether it's a student, staff or faculty member,
[00:47:13.460]there are avenues for people to submit those complaints
[00:47:17.010]and the UNL report system, which if you haven't seen it,
[00:47:21.410]it's on the bottom of pretty much every webpage
[00:47:24.768]can be submitted that way.
[00:47:27.020]You can talk to a staff or faculty person
[00:47:30.550]that you feel is supportive.
[00:47:33.400]You could go to Institutional Equity and Compliance.
[00:47:37.550]So there's lots of avenues where people can go through
[00:47:40.960]to get support information.
[00:47:43.420]And again, a lot of people
[00:47:44.840]don't want to make formal reports,
[00:47:47.690]but with intentional disrespect it still needs to be treated
[00:47:52.970]as a workplace environment issue.
[00:47:56.670]And any employee in particular is responsible
[00:48:01.570]for helping create a welcoming, inclusive
[00:48:03.950]and respectful environment.
[00:48:05.870]And so it can be and should be addressed.
[00:48:09.563]And again as you said,
[00:48:11.420]we have a non-discrimination policy
[00:48:13.580]that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
[00:48:17.430]So some behaviors may not rise to the level
[00:48:20.860]of discrimination,
[00:48:22.560]but there's probably some behaviors that do.
[00:48:26.680]And there's also behaviors that just
[00:48:28.770]are bad employee behaviors that need to be addressed.
[00:48:34.290]Or is it violating the student code of conduct.
[00:48:39.700]Because students have a responsibility
[00:48:42.630]to treat each other respectfully as well.
[00:48:45.380]And so if you don't know where to go,
[00:48:48.320]you can always contact the LGBTQA+ Resource Center.
[00:48:52.060]You can contact the Chancellor's Commission
[00:48:54.420]for the Status of Gender and Sexual Identities.
[00:48:57.300]You can talk to a trusted staff or faculty member.
[00:49:03.590]So basically go to where you know you can get information
[00:49:08.710]about how to provide support,
[00:49:10.630]but also the importance of holding people accountable
[00:49:15.640]for bad behavior is essential.
[00:49:19.180]And again, it's different making a mistake
[00:49:21.650]than it is to purposely and intentionally
[00:49:24.890]and continually disrespect someone and create an environment
[00:49:30.280]where people feel disrespected and invisible.
[00:49:34.830]Or it becomes like a hostile kind of environment for people.
[00:49:41.880]Yeah, I'd add to that.
[00:49:43.430]Pat said the commission,
[00:49:44.640]we do receive feedback, complaints, whatever,
[00:49:48.280]from faculty, staff and students.
[00:49:50.300]We have a 28 person commission member
[00:49:54.116]and we represent the faculty, staff and students.
[00:49:56.920]I chair the Chancellor's Commission currently.
[00:49:59.660]And Jen and Pat are on the commission with me
[00:50:03.880]and we do take those and we take them very seriously.
[00:50:07.930]I mean, if you prefer not to have your name out there,
[00:50:11.290]we will never talk about that.
[00:50:12.540]We'll can talk in general terms of issues,
[00:50:15.820]if it's a faculty or a staff issue like that.
[00:50:18.370]And then we can bring that up to the higher level
[00:50:20.340]at the chancellor's level.
[00:50:23.010]That was one of the good things
[00:50:24.800]that the chancellor has done.
[00:50:25.990]He's made the commission very responsible
[00:50:28.290]for letting him know when things are going wrong on campus.
[00:50:32.800]And that's a very positive turn, I think,
[00:50:36.890]from where the commissions used to be more
[00:50:38.800]of just an advisory role.
[00:50:40.300]So please reach out.
[00:50:42.350]Like Pat said at any of those resources
[00:50:44.780]to make sure that you are heard.
[00:50:49.530]Thank you.
[00:50:50.363]So we've talked a little bit about reporting,
[00:50:54.070]but something that y'all brought up is that,
[00:50:56.350]reporting and supporting are both really important things.
[00:50:59.840]So there are of course differences
[00:51:02.430]between intentional disrespect
[00:51:04.670]and somebody's trying to get used to
[00:51:08.251]this ever evolving nature of gender identity
[00:51:11.380]as people are going on their own journeys
[00:51:13.270]of gender identity.
[00:51:14.790]But it's also important to support
[00:51:17.600]our gender diverse populations, faculty, and staff,
[00:51:21.090]and students, as we're all on this journey together.
[00:51:23.070]So do any of our panelists have any comments,
[00:51:27.330]anything that comes to mind of ways that we can support
[00:51:30.880]our non-binary faculty, staff, and students,
[00:51:33.407]our gender diverse faculty, staff, and students?
[00:51:35.980]How we can get individuals to understand how important it is
[00:51:39.480]to opt in to sharing your pronouns
[00:51:41.840]and opt into these systems.
[00:51:43.610]What advice do you have to share for us?
[00:51:46.500]I just want to emphasize again about giving correction
[00:51:51.380]and also taking correction graciously.
[00:51:54.200]So I did just put a YouTube video that's a short one
[00:51:58.690]about getting called out and how to apologize,
[00:52:03.020]because I know that having conversations with individuals
[00:52:06.930]about their having mis-gendered people,
[00:52:11.850]oftentimes it becomes about them and it becomes this,
[00:52:15.670]well, I wanna know when and how many times
[00:52:17.853]that I feel so bad.
[00:52:20.186]Really that makes it about you rather than about the fact
[00:52:24.410]that you mis-gendered the individual.
[00:52:26.770]And so, again being able to just graciously correct people,
[00:52:32.920]but also graciously take that correction
[00:52:35.890]is really important.
[00:52:41.990]A couple of other things.
[00:52:44.410]The burden of correction,
[00:52:47.770]it is something that has come up a decent amount
[00:52:50.550]during my time here.
[00:52:52.340]Who was the person who needs to correct?
[00:52:54.760]And I have been told that it should be me.
[00:52:59.320]I'm going to tell you if you put the burden of correction
[00:53:03.280]always on the trans person, it's not a small thing to us.
[00:53:07.870]Like Jen was saying earlier, it is something that like,
[00:53:10.330]we literally do have like conversations about,
[00:53:13.570]to like support each other.
[00:53:15.120]And there are very few faculty and staff on campus
[00:53:19.240]who use they/them pronouns.
[00:53:20.840]And so like you can imagine our little circle.
[00:53:24.160]But like with all that you,
[00:53:26.638]it feels like,
[00:53:28.870]I call it like almost like a physical hit
[00:53:30.930]of like you're healing from something that just happened.
[00:53:33.840]And so if you're putting that burden
[00:53:35.320]then on the trans person to say,
[00:53:37.230]hey, these are the pronouns that I use.
[00:53:39.940]That means that they just had to put
[00:53:42.180]not only like their feelings aside in that moment,
[00:53:45.340]to give that correction in a way that like,
[00:53:47.770]people will actually take it,
[00:53:50.040]but also that does then center someone else
[00:53:54.280]in that situation.
[00:53:55.260]And it should always be about the trans person.
[00:53:58.570]And so making sure that when you hear something,
[00:54:03.880]when you experience something,
[00:54:05.660]knowing that your voice is very important
[00:54:08.120]to make sure that it's not always on the person
[00:54:10.550]who is being harmed.
[00:54:12.590]Also, if you can make a change, do.
[00:54:15.900]There was a number of things that,
[00:54:18.320]so JD is my chosen name.
[00:54:20.970]When I was a student,
[00:54:22.400]everything still had my legal name on it
[00:54:25.110]throughout all the systems.
[00:54:27.330]When I became a staff member,
[00:54:29.560]there were a number of things that could have been changed
[00:54:32.790]that I just didn't know to ask.
[00:54:35.970]And so if you can make a change,
[00:54:38.360]like if someone asks you to make a change,
[00:54:40.680]do as opposed to like waiting for like someone
[00:54:45.240]to like have to bring it up.
[00:54:46.310]Like if you know that you can teach that in a system
[00:54:48.150]that you're working with, it's really important
[00:54:49.888]to be able to do that.
[00:54:52.760]Also understanding it's not just name and pronouns.
[00:54:55.730]We have a lot of gender language that we use.
[00:54:59.410]Hey guys is like the Midwest people.
[00:55:02.980]Saying, hey y'all, hey folks.
[00:55:05.640]When we use honorifics, a lot of times like folks will like,
[00:55:10.820]like in a way to say respectfully,
[00:55:12.610]if I say like miss or ma'am, or sir,
[00:55:17.020]but if you're invalidating someone's gender identity,
[00:55:19.643]it's not gonna be respectful.
[00:55:21.380]And so mix is was one that is fairly common.
[00:55:28.130]It's something that not everyone likes.
[00:55:29.720]So like using someone's name, like as you can,
[00:55:33.810]but then also knowing that,
[00:55:34.920]like if you're making assumptions about,
[00:55:37.270]like sibling, like sister, brother, girlfriend, boyfriend,
[00:55:42.780]all these things are just so ingrained in that language.
[00:55:45.628]So like knowing about that also contributes to someone
[00:55:48.170]being mis-gendered, it's not only the pronouns.
[00:55:54.097]JD, you brought up so many great points.
[00:55:58.010]So I think for me, there's a number of ways cis folks
[00:56:04.270]can be advocates or anyone can be advocates
[00:56:06.960]to non-binary people.
[00:56:09.580]And I had a staff member when I told a group
[00:56:15.900]within my office,
[00:56:18.650]what my pronouns were at that point in time
[00:56:21.450]and kind of just brought that up and was like,
[00:56:23.090]this is new for me.
[00:56:24.330]These are my pronouns.
[00:56:26.220]I had a staff member ask,
[00:56:29.020]how would you like for me to handle that?
[00:56:31.340]If someone mis-genders you in front of me?
[00:56:33.750]And I thought, I was floored by that question,
[00:56:37.060]'cause I just assumed it would be my responsibility, right?
[00:56:40.900]And actually I was like, that's a fantastic question.
[00:56:43.070]And it gets to Jed's point too, of like,
[00:56:46.730]don't let it just be us.
[00:56:48.910]Like I'm on email threads with multiple people
[00:56:51.580]where people are saying, Jen is gonna help you.
[00:56:54.110]She leads, blah, blah, blah.
[00:56:55.270]And I'm like, is anyone gonna say anything?
[00:57:01.640]But it's helpful to have someone ask and say like,
[00:57:04.080]what would you prefer?
[00:57:05.880]How can I help?
[00:57:06.980]And so that felt really good to me.
[00:57:10.270]I think something I do within the classroom.
[00:57:12.140]So I know we have some faculty here
[00:57:13.590]and I haven't talked too much about that.
[00:57:14.860]I'm always happy to talk about some classroom practices
[00:57:17.250]and there are lots of great resources out there
[00:57:20.010]in the internet.
[00:57:20.843]But one thing I'm mindful of is I do model my pronouns.
[00:57:24.290]And I also encourage my students to introduce themselves
[00:57:29.340]with pronouns.
[00:57:30.350]But I like to say if you're comfortable
[00:57:33.920]and not assume that if someone's abstaining
[00:57:36.910]from using their pronouns,
[00:57:38.010]that it's because they're averse to using pronouns,
[00:57:40.390]but maybe they aren't comfortable
[00:57:42.410]because they don't wanna out themselves
[00:57:44.710]to a whole classroom of people that they don't know.
[00:57:46.870]So don't force students to use pronouns.
[00:57:49.920]So if you're doing introductions and someone skips there's,
[00:57:52.850]I would say, leave it be no matter what your instinct is
[00:57:56.660]on why the student didn't do that.
[00:58:00.400]But yeah, it's great to be able to model that.
[00:58:01.950]And I have found that so many more students,
[00:58:05.640]even at the time when I was just using she/her pronouns,
[00:58:07.910]so many more students were open about their identity
[00:58:10.160]with me at that point.
[00:58:11.140]And so it can create a good connection
[00:58:12.840]with you for your students,
[00:58:13.673]if you're willing and able to support them.
[00:58:17.590]Students don't know a whole lot about this policy.
[00:58:19.980]So another great thing that we all can do
[00:58:21.900]is to connect with students around,
[00:58:25.337]thank you for sharing your identity
[00:58:27.600]or your pronouns with me.
[00:58:28.860]I wanna make sure that you knew that
[00:58:30.580]you have a way to change that in Canvas.
[00:58:32.660]And it's actually, if you visit MyRED, et cetera.
[00:58:36.679]So not to overwhelm students with that information,
[00:58:40.600]but to let them know it's available.
[00:58:42.210]'Cause we're still trying to get the word out
[00:58:44.720]through lots of different ways
[00:58:45.710]so we could use everyone's help with that.
[00:58:47.650]And then the last thing I'll say is kind of connected
[00:58:49.470]to this idea of like managing yourself
[00:58:54.620]and I've heard people share that they feel fear
[00:59:00.270]that others, like if I mess up,
[00:59:02.380]like what will happen, what will I do?
[00:59:04.320]And I know, like I've explained that in this meeting,
[00:59:06.920]that there is an impact on me if someone does mis-gender me.
[00:59:09.920]But the best way for folks to,
[00:59:15.570]this is a pretty common sentiment
[00:59:16.900]across the trans community.
[00:59:17.890]But the best way for folks to handle a mistake
[00:59:20.520]is just to say, I'm sorry, I meant vague.
[00:59:23.580]And just move on.
[00:59:26.520]It doesn't feel good for someone to draw that out.
[00:59:28.900]And it kind of makes it about you and not me
[00:59:32.890]who just experienced the mis-gendering.
[00:59:35.050]So I think that's a really quick way to just be accountable
[00:59:39.990]and to say, I'm sorry, I won't do that again.
[00:59:43.860]Or I'm still trying, that's fine.
[00:59:46.980]I think something else that helps is not leaning back on
[00:59:52.190]to this is new to me.
[00:59:53.380]I'm really trying,
[00:59:54.300]it's gonna take me awhile to get used to this.
[00:59:56.600]I hear that so much.
[00:59:57.700]And my reaction at that point is like, great.
[01:00:02.210]Please keep trying.
[01:00:03.450]So yeah, I think just a quick apology
[01:00:06.950]and moving on is helpful.
[01:00:07.990]'Cause I think the burden again is on us
[01:00:11.040]that we use these pronouns
[01:00:13.060]and that they're not often respected.
[01:00:14.770]The burden is not on cis people to try to learn
[01:00:18.730]how to use they/them pronouns and try to remember them.
[01:00:24.640]Thank you.
[01:00:25.473]Those were all such great and helpful things.
[01:00:27.680]And I appreciate Pat sent a link in the chat with some tips,
[01:00:33.010]and I love those sentiments of encouraging
[01:00:35.360]your fellow faculty staff instructors,
[01:00:39.110]to if you're doing a Canvas intro tour or MyRED tour,
[01:00:44.910]how to use these systems for freshmen or incoming students,
[01:00:47.640]include how to edit pronouns
[01:00:49.720]or include that maybe in syllabus statements
[01:00:52.700]or things for your department that might be useful
[01:00:55.500]to students.
[01:00:56.333]So thank you, Jen, for sharing those resources.
[01:00:59.210]Thank you everyone for sharing that.
[01:01:01.830]One point too on the faculty piece
[01:01:03.720]that you mentioned there,
[01:01:05.090]we do have a new faculty committee that's being formed
[01:01:09.070]between all the diversity commissions right now,
[01:01:11.090]to talk about some of these pieces
[01:01:14.050]that the syllabus is missing
[01:01:15.820]and how to encompass that kind of information in there,
[01:01:22.580]as Jen said, get more visibility out there for the policy
[01:01:26.730]and the diversity and inclusion statements
[01:01:28.990]and things like that.
[01:01:29.823]So we have a couple members of faculty from each commission
[01:01:32.950]that are gonna be working on a recommendation
[01:01:36.230]to the leadership of the university
[01:01:37.860]to try to push that further down the road
[01:01:43.544]and get that in place, right?
[01:01:44.440]And get the faculty to understand this a little bit more,
[01:01:47.340]because like we said,
[01:01:48.750]it's not very well versed for faculty to understand
[01:01:52.760]what is going on and what this policy means
[01:01:55.170]and how it affects people, right?
[01:01:57.130]And that's very important to understand.
[01:02:00.900]And I like Jen's point too to the fact that,
[01:02:04.130]don't harp on somebody
[01:02:06.520]that doesn't wanna give pronouns, right?
[01:02:08.289]If you start an introduction and you give your pronouns,
[01:02:12.010]but somebody doesn't,
[01:02:12.890]you should not feel to force that issue.
[01:02:16.120]I do like that very much.
[01:02:18.630]And I think some people are just uncomfortable at this time,
[01:02:21.420]and students also are not sure of themselves too
[01:02:25.170]when they give that out.
[01:02:26.480]But anyway, I wanted to know the faculty information
[01:02:29.430]that we are trying to get pushed through.
[01:02:34.460]Thank you.
[01:02:35.293]So I think we're about time to move over to some Q&A
[01:02:39.330]from the audience.
[01:02:40.210]So I'm Dr. Friday is gonna help guide us
[01:02:42.540]through those questions.
[01:02:46.590]Thank you all so much.
[01:02:48.090]I think this conversation has been enlightening.
[01:02:53.370]I'm a reflector and as I've been listening
[01:02:56.880]and I've been reading through the chat,
[01:02:59.590]I think I'm taking away a lot.
[01:03:01.650]I think I said there's a number of settings as well,
[01:03:03.210]but one of my favorite trainings to do is,
[01:03:04.960]intent versus impact.
[01:03:07.020]Because I think sometimes in our haste
[01:03:10.040]to really let people know what we intended to do
[01:03:14.680]or what our intentions are,
[01:03:16.000]or how we're good people or how we're not XXX,
[01:03:18.840]we really forget, or not even just forget,
[01:03:22.230]we center ourselves because it's so important
[01:03:24.910]for people to understand how we feel
[01:03:27.320]as opposed to understanding the impact of words, of actions.
[01:03:30.720]And they're like tiny daggers, right?
[01:03:32.710]Throughout.
[01:03:33.543]And the burden is never
[01:03:34.850]on those who hold certain identities.
[01:03:37.790]Like we cannot stress that enough
[01:03:39.770]because part of this journey,
[01:03:41.700]until we're in the shoes of individuals,
[01:03:43.880]will we ever understand?
[01:03:45.440]And part of I think this conversation
[01:03:47.160]is enlightening for us,
[01:03:48.360]as we're thinking about this new policy.
[01:03:52.010]We've seen a number of questions and just comments
[01:03:53.950]in the chat.
[01:03:55.040]And I do wanna kind of read through a few of these,
[01:03:58.040]even reactions,
[01:03:58.900]because I think as we saw from some individuals excited
[01:04:02.700]to see that this is now a policy,
[01:04:04.560]but there are some concerns.
[01:04:06.640]And as Corrie mentioned,
[01:04:08.650]and I think as many of you mentioned,
[01:04:11.590]going from policy to implementation
[01:04:13.720]looks a little bit different,
[01:04:15.190]especially for those who perhaps for whatever reason
[01:04:18.850]may not want to follow guidelines, right?
[01:04:21.820]Sometimes when you're in a classroom,
[01:04:23.180]you're at quote unquote,
[01:04:24.970]the mercy of perhaps a faculty member
[01:04:27.740]or an instructor for whoever reasons may not wanna adhere.
[01:04:30.650]And you all gave some great, I think suggestions on that.
[01:04:34.390]And I think our office in particular has seen
[01:04:36.250]just like the commission has seen
[01:04:38.040]those concerns being raised a number of times.
[01:04:40.520]Which is students in particular feel
[01:04:44.385]that this may be something that faculty or instructors
[01:04:47.380]may not adhere to because of personal reasons
[01:04:49.510]or just their lack of concern, what have you.
[01:04:53.260]Can you all really talk,
[01:04:54.457]and anyone who'd like to jump in here,
[01:04:56.447]can you really talk through that?
[01:04:58.240]I think because students in particular
[01:05:00.150]in vulnerable situations where
[01:05:02.490]there are power dynamics that exists.
[01:05:04.440]And if you've attempted to, for example,
[01:05:07.500]explain to a faculty member, your chosen name,
[01:05:11.980]your gender pronouns,
[01:05:12.820]and that's still not something that is being respected,
[01:05:16.170]what is my next step?
[01:05:17.240]And we did put some things in the chat,
[01:05:18.880]but I know you all probably have seen this
[01:05:21.080]perhaps more times than we're comfortable in admitting.
[01:05:26.670]One of the things that people should do
[01:05:28.920]is document what their experiences are.
[01:05:33.750]And now people have phones.
[01:05:35.370]So you can record a conversation to share.
[01:05:39.720]I know people don't like that idea sometimes,
[01:05:42.540]but the reality is,
[01:05:45.270]if that you say something to somebody
[01:05:48.900]and the reaction or response that you get
[01:05:52.350]is a disrespectful one, write it down.
[01:05:55.680]Put down the date, the time, the place,
[01:05:59.420]who was there, what was said, and keep track of that.
[01:06:04.690]And if it happens more than once,
[01:06:07.760]then that rises to the level of somebody
[01:06:12.287]at NLU should look at this.
[01:06:17.580]And I think this is true for students, staff and faculty,
[01:06:21.700]that there's always that fear of negative consequences
[01:06:25.530]or retaliation, because it depends on who's doing it.
[01:06:30.720]And if it is not somebody who you feel respects you
[01:06:34.227]and they may have some kind of power over you
[01:06:37.640]that becomes really intimidating and scary for people.
[01:06:41.760]So that's where writing down, documenting,
[01:06:46.740]making sure if there are witnesses
[01:06:49.330]like you know who they are
[01:06:51.740]and potentially being able to have their support
[01:06:55.260]if you go forward.
[01:06:57.480]We have the care of this who are victim advocates.
[01:07:01.100]So if somebody is experiencing
[01:07:05.410]what they consider emotional abuse,
[01:07:08.420]then they can go to the care office
[01:07:11.180]and ask them to be their advocate as well
[01:07:14.250]as they go through the process.
[01:07:16.960]So especially if they go
[01:07:18.450]to Institutional Equity and Compliance and report there,
[01:07:23.920]people will be offered like information about care,
[01:07:28.700]so that they can have an advocate with them.
[01:07:31.920]But I think documenting is really important,
[01:07:35.680]so that you're not going off your memory.
[01:07:38.730]You can write down how it made you feel,
[01:07:41.680]if you remember what was said
[01:07:43.640]or a summary of what could be said.
[01:07:46.510]And again, if it happens more than once,
[01:07:48.760]keeping track of that.
[01:07:50.360]But the response that you get, if you were somebody else
[01:07:55.330]forbids that correction or request
[01:07:58.500]for being treated respectfully,
[01:08:00.720]and it's not happening,
[01:08:03.910]I would encourage you to use your voice.
[01:08:06.890]And if you feel like you can't do it
[01:08:09.570]to find somebody and that include some other student,
[01:08:12.990]staff or faculty member who might be willing to go with you
[01:08:17.270]to an appropriate resource, to have it addressed.
[01:08:22.430]So there's people will address faculty concerns,
[01:08:26.390]especially like the biggest tips.
[01:08:28.710]What I would also recommend if you submit a report online,
[01:08:33.590]it can be anonymous or confidential,
[01:08:36.510]but if you do it anonymously,
[01:08:38.160]know that they can't get back to you to let you know
[01:08:41.270]that they actually did anything with this.
[01:08:44.220]And even if you are able to be protected
[01:08:47.350]because you do it confidentially,
[01:08:49.460]recognize that as an employee matter,
[01:08:52.090]they may not be able to tell you actual outcomes,
[01:08:55.350]but they can at least address with you
[01:08:58.830]that it's being handled.
[01:09:01.870]So again, I think that documentation
[01:09:05.240]and this isn't always easy for people to sit down
[01:09:07.830]and wanna do,
[01:09:09.650]but having some kind of record that can be used
[01:09:14.160]and giving them that specific details
[01:09:17.790]about what actually happened and how it impacted you
[01:09:22.230]is super helpful.
[01:09:24.000]Because I know having served on like the tips reports,
[01:09:28.260]sometimes people would submit something,
[01:09:30.450]but they wouldn't submit anything you could use
[01:09:33.860]to do anything.
[01:09:35.470]Because it would not give you like,
[01:09:38.010]when, where, how, who, whatever.
[01:09:41.230]And then there's nobody to contact.
[01:09:44.540]And so you can't do anything.
[01:09:46.300]So just try to give enough information
[01:09:49.450]so that issue can be addressed.
[01:09:53.190]Thank you for that.
[01:09:54.023]And just as a note, I'm sorry, Jen, just one second.
[01:09:56.580]I know people may have questions.
[01:09:58.660]We do encourage you to use the chat feature.
[01:10:00.760]If you want to use the mics,
[01:10:03.470]you're absolutely welcome to do so, but we are recording.
[01:10:06.240]So if you're not comfortable with that, it will be recorded.
[01:10:09.420]So I would encourage you to perhaps use the chat feature,
[01:10:12.580]but you can also send us a personal message
[01:10:14.560]just in case you wanna be safe on who you're asking.
[01:10:17.580]So you have multiple options,
[01:10:18.890]but just know that we are recording this session
[01:10:20.740]because we wanna make it available for everyone.
[01:10:23.980]So if you don't feel comfortable using the mic,
[01:10:25.850]you don't have to,
[01:10:26.683]you can always send us a private message
[01:10:28.510]or just use the chat feature.
[01:10:29.980]And Jen I'm sorry about that.
[01:10:31.010]I know you had something you wanted to add.
[01:10:33.367]No, you're good.
[01:10:34.200]Thank you.
[01:10:35.615]And yes, more questions the better.
[01:10:36.700]So appreciate that.
[01:10:38.160]I just wanted to reiterate what Pat said about documentation
[01:10:41.020]and offer some additional things on top of students
[01:10:44.730]or whomever is experiencing their experience.
[01:10:51.530]Whatever you wanna call it.
[01:10:54.221]Documenting it themselves.
[01:10:56.810]I would say those of you that also work individually
[01:10:58.640]with students, if they inform you of things,
[01:11:01.110]you may also wanna make a note of that.
[01:11:04.310]Maybe not necessarily in MyPLAN,
[01:11:06.640]but it's the student's choice
[01:11:09.600]on what they wanna do with that.
[01:11:10.710]'Cause it doesn't fall under our mandatory reporting
[01:11:13.880]with sexual misconduct.
[01:11:15.860]But you may want to hang onto some information
[01:11:18.420]with what the student shares with you.
[01:11:21.597]I have seen students also try to set expectations
[01:11:25.590]with supervisors and faculty
[01:11:28.810]in instances where they're being mis-gendered
[01:11:30.580]and feel like they're being discriminated against.
[01:11:32.097]Where the student has documented in an email.
[01:11:39.018]Like I have asked you to do this, already in person,
[01:11:42.750]and this is what I need you to do
[01:11:44.220]in order for me to stay in your class
[01:11:46.710]or to stay in your employment.
[01:11:48.590]This is what I need to do to feel affirmed
[01:11:50.560]in this workplace or classroom.
[01:11:53.350]I expect this moving forward, basically.
[01:11:56.825]And it is hard for students sometimes
[01:11:59.560]to learn that self-advocacy,
[01:12:00.810]that we know is a really important skill,
[01:12:03.306]but having an email documenting that they've requested that
[01:12:09.530]or laid out that expectation can be helpful.
[01:12:13.980]If a student down the line decides to undergo a reporting
[01:12:17.600]or a formal complaint process.
[01:12:19.840]It also helps the student have a record of that.
[01:12:22.630]So that is also part of the documentation,
[01:12:25.010]not just noting something down for themselves.
[01:12:28.290]But if they were to be in an IEC process,
[01:12:31.280]they're going to be asked things like,
[01:12:32.700]when did this begin and what was the reaction
[01:12:35.090]and what was the point of contact and all of those things,
[01:12:38.320]which can feel overwhelming.
[01:12:40.460]I've also had students have their peers assist them.
[01:12:44.750]I've had instances where students
[01:12:46.130]are being gendered correctly to their faces
[01:12:48.180]or their gender pronouns are being avoided
[01:12:50.810]by folks who've been mis-gendering them
[01:12:52.900]while they're present.
[01:12:53.760]And then their peers are reporting to them.
[01:12:56.440]When you're not in the classroom or when you're not at work,
[01:12:59.160]this is happening behind your back.
[01:13:01.110]And so that has added to the student's documentation
[01:13:04.610]to be able to support a case
[01:13:06.040]and support some hopefully actions.
[01:13:11.000]And also if a student's not sure
[01:13:12.480]they want to go to the formal complaint route,
[01:13:14.020]I do think the option should be provided to students
[01:13:16.290]and they should know what that process looks like.
[01:13:18.460]And so initiating a conversation with IEC
[01:13:20.850]is just to look at what those options are for them
[01:13:24.790]and what potential results could come from
[01:13:29.280]some of those different choices they have.
[01:13:32.900]And alternate things could be like,
[01:13:37.440]talking to the department chair
[01:13:39.180]or talking to their supervisor's supervisor
[01:13:41.690]and those kinds of conversations.
[01:13:45.180]So there's a variety of things a student can choose,
[01:13:48.130]but the formal process is through IEC.
[01:13:50.370]And that's the primary way for those expectations
[01:13:53.770]to be laid out or for disciplinary actions to be taken.
[01:13:58.580]I was just reading the situation in the chat.
[01:14:04.320]And I also think that that's actually misconduct
[01:14:08.070]on the part of the employees telling somebody
[01:14:11.230]don't report that, 'cause it's gonna be a icky process.
[01:14:16.130]Because they're protecting bad conduct by another employee.
[01:14:20.940]And so even if somebody is not sure
[01:14:23.410]that they want to report,
[01:14:25.290]they can still go to IEC and make a report
[01:14:28.640]and let them know that they don't know
[01:14:31.140]that they want anything officially done yet.
[01:14:34.850]And so they can find out the amount of time
[01:14:39.700]that it may take,
[01:14:41.470]because my guess is it probably varies
[01:14:43.550]depending on caseload, what the situation is,
[01:14:47.690]lots of factors.
[01:14:49.080]And so nobody should be discouraged
[01:14:52.770]from actually trying to hold somebody accountable
[01:14:56.340]for bad behavior.
[01:14:59.100]Thank you.
[01:15:00.380]And another question that we had,
[01:15:01.800]I wanted to make sure you have kind of given
[01:15:04.700]some context here, but I'll read this.
[01:15:07.450]Jen has provided a great example
[01:15:09.100]of what a violation feels like to the individual.
[01:15:12.700]And again, you've kind of touched on this,
[01:15:14.010]but can the panel provide a few examples of violations
[01:15:17.280]of the policy that rises to the level of discrimination?
[01:15:24.130]I'm gonna say that's hard to give an example of,
[01:15:27.040]because IEC would have to investigate it
[01:15:30.940]and make a determination.
[01:15:32.730]And sometimes that depends on,
[01:15:34.910]do you have enough documentation of what's been going on?
[01:15:41.300]And I think it would probably have to do
[01:15:44.040]partly with intent and severity or how long it's ongoing
[01:15:50.260]and what the response of the person is.
[01:15:52.960]Because I think even with sexual harassment,
[01:15:56.390]somebody has to do something
[01:15:58.170]and then they have to be told to stop,
[01:16:01.080]and then they have to do it again.
[01:16:04.160]Unless it's so severe that that one incident is enough.
[01:16:13.613]Ans there's no official,
[01:16:15.370]like this is what happens if you don't abide by this policy
[01:16:19.560]in the policy itself.
[01:16:21.650]But again, we have a non-discrimination policy.
[01:16:24.920]And just so everybody is aware,
[01:16:29.690]under Title IX and Title VII,
[01:16:32.800]sexual orientation and gender identity
[01:16:36.890]when a discrimination is based on those,
[01:16:41.780]they are considered a form of sex discrimination
[01:16:45.430]because your sex makes a difference
[01:16:48.100]in sexual orientation and gender identity.
[01:16:51.610]And that's been consistent ruled on.
[01:16:54.550]And so people need to realize that the institution
[01:16:59.500]is not only bound by its own non-discrimination policy,
[01:17:03.300]but it's also bound by case law
[01:17:06.000]and also by the direction given from the federal government.
[01:17:10.890]And so like any case of discrimination,
[01:17:14.830]it's gonna depend on what people can document
[01:17:18.500]and if they can demonstrate impacts of that.
[01:17:21.760]And so I don't know that we can actually give you
[01:17:25.460]a specific example because this is also new territory.
[01:17:30.560]This is a new policy at the university.
[01:17:33.070]So even though we've had a non-discrimination policy,
[01:17:37.790]there haven't been a lot of things that basically
[01:17:41.290]have been laid out that say, this is a violation.
[01:17:45.590]So it really depends on what people are experiencing
[01:17:48.530]and what they can actually demonstrate is happening.
[01:17:53.750]And I think something that we've touched a lot on,
[01:17:57.730]if someone's doing it intentionally.
[01:18:00.300]We haven't talked as much on if it is unintentional,
[01:18:04.380]but consistent.
[01:18:05.970]And I think that that's something that we also need
[01:18:08.700]to talk about a little bit is,
[01:18:10.750]if someone is saying like,
[01:18:13.290]is being continually mis-gender by someone,
[01:18:15.990]and they're saying that it's not intentional
[01:18:17.700]and they apologize each time,
[01:18:19.710]but they do not change or correct their behavior
[01:18:23.070]that is still harassing that person.
[01:18:25.940]And so that's something to like also keep in mind
[01:18:28.740]when we're talking about like severity
[01:18:30.990]and that kind of stuff.
[01:18:32.770]Obviously, if someone says I'm doing this
[01:18:34.960]to make you uncomfortable,
[01:18:36.290]or like showing that it is intentional,
[01:18:38.650]that is very harmful.
[01:18:40.300]But also if it is just like, I just don't see your gender.
[01:18:43.980]Or like, something like that,
[01:18:45.490]that is also still incredibly harmful.
[01:18:47.460]And so the same action is happening,
[01:18:51.380]whether it's intentional or not.
[01:18:52.810]And so if it is continuous,
[01:18:55.290]we need to make sure that we address that as well.
[01:18:58.700]And that goes too.
[01:18:59.640]Thank you, JD.
[01:19:00.473]That's a great point and an example.
[01:19:03.320]Because it goes to climate and culture
[01:19:04.760]and how they can change working environments.
[01:19:07.400]Of course, student's learning ability, et cetera
[01:19:10.860]and that sense of belonging.
[01:19:12.560]We often talk about this violation of student conduct,
[01:19:17.890]but we don't often think about the violation
[01:19:20.260]of our core values here at the university.
[01:19:22.390]We have listed inclusive excellence and opportunities
[01:19:25.710]to create environment of belonging.
[01:19:27.550]And that's a violation of that.
[01:19:29.240]And so as we think about this,
[01:19:30.297]and we're thinking about reporting, et cetera,
[01:19:33.440]we want to kind of expand how we're thinking about
[01:19:36.780]violations of this, because sometimes of course,
[01:19:39.350]we think about freedom of speech.
[01:19:40.811]We think about a number of things.
[01:19:43.440]Especially when perhaps individuals may apologize,
[01:19:46.890]even if they're not changing behaviors.
[01:19:48.820]So part of this is to perhaps help our participants
[01:19:53.700]really think about ways in which this can have implications
[01:19:58.830]on a sense of belonging,
[01:20:00.370]on our ability to fully engage in the campus community
[01:20:03.937]for a number of reasons.
[01:20:05.770]So as we kind of wrap up,
[01:20:07.990]we have kind of a few minutes left.
[01:20:10.070]I wanted to kind of leave these last two or three minutes
[01:20:13.800]to ask if you all had any kind of closing thoughts?
[01:20:16.030]Especially because I think we've given the participants
[01:20:19.520]a lot to take with them.
[01:20:22.010]But closing thoughts,
[01:20:22.990]especially because I think how do we go from
[01:20:25.650]hearing all this information to action.
[01:20:28.410]Closing thoughts from any of our panelists here.
[01:20:33.090]I will offer that, I don't think very many people know
[01:20:37.700]what this process looks like
[01:20:39.420]prior to the Executive Memorandum,
[01:20:42.100]and how much of a burden it was for individuals
[01:20:44.880]to work with multiple offices who were willing to help,
[01:20:48.710]but just the number of steps and hoops individuals
[01:20:51.940]had to go through to change a chosen name,
[01:20:54.320]and there wasn't a place for pronouns.
[01:20:56.580]Like this is a huge difference.
[01:20:59.870]And we still have ways to go and more hurdles to eliminate,
[01:21:05.650]more hoops to bring down.
[01:21:08.270]But I think that this has been a lot of work
[01:21:12.100]over the last, what Pat, Corrie?
[01:21:14.560]It's been almost two years?
[01:21:16.770]Yeah, that the new system non-binary steering committee
[01:21:20.350]has been in existence.
[01:21:22.683]And I would say like use us as a resource too,
[01:21:26.060]and we wanna hear from you as you look at your own systems
[01:21:31.050]and look at things in particular your office is using.
[01:21:33.960]Or if you want help looking at forms or processes
[01:21:36.990]or practices.
[01:21:38.340]Like I think we also wanna be responsive to that
[01:21:40.900]and hear from folks and help us get the word out.
[01:21:45.160]I think that's a big piece of this work from us
[01:21:48.820]and it's gonna have an impact on people like me
[01:21:51.017]and the folks that we work with.
[01:21:52.330]So, just thanks for taking the time to be with us today.
[01:21:56.699]Now, and I'll put it in a lot of the wording here,
[01:21:58.150]we're still meeting as a steering committee.
[01:22:00.210]So if there is other things that still need to be addressed,
[01:22:03.760]or you think that we are missing something
[01:22:06.000]or anything like that,
[01:22:06.920]please reach out to any one of us
[01:22:08.590]that are on the steering committee.
[01:22:09.520]That information I still believe is on the main page,
[01:22:12.660]it's on the central website with all the policy information.
[01:22:16.872]Or you can reach out to Stansia at Central
[01:22:19.910]and she'll get the information to the steering committee.
[01:22:25.300]We want to move this forward.
[01:22:27.440]We want to make the system and not just Lincoln,
[01:22:30.630]but the whole system accountable for this.
[01:22:34.260]And we wanna make sure that we're doing the right things
[01:22:36.650]and getting the systems that need to be brought into this
[01:22:41.720]addressed and taken care of.
[01:22:43.140]So, yes, please, don't be afraid.
[01:22:45.840]That's one thing.
[01:22:46.673]And I think one of the things I have to say is,
[01:22:49.550]over the last several years,
[01:22:52.280]I've probably gotten more vocal and stood up more
[01:22:55.220]to a lot of things at the senior level
[01:22:57.350]than I have over my previous 10 or 12 years
[01:23:00.500]that Pat and I did with the committee.
[01:23:02.030]The commission has really changed a lot of ways
[01:23:04.080]that we're interacting with the administration.
[01:23:07.140]But please reach out, we're here for everybody.
[01:23:11.140]And the biggest thing is we want to make this work.
[01:23:18.330]I'm also gonna just try to address the reality that,
[01:23:23.880]if somebody leaves because of the climate,
[01:23:26.560]but you're aware of it,
[01:23:27.990]or even if they don't leave and you're aware of it,
[01:23:31.480]bringing that up.
[01:23:33.430]And if it's not being addressed,
[01:23:35.490]bring it up to other places.
[01:23:37.440]And that includes the Chancellor's Commission, to IEC.
[01:23:41.520]Because we're really talking about climate issues
[01:23:44.470]and systemic issues and in order to change that
[01:23:48.350]they need to be addressed.
[01:23:50.040]And one of the things in order to create change
[01:23:53.970]is persistence is an absolute requirement.
[01:23:57.480]And that is not a fun requirement.
[01:23:59.940]It takes a lot of time and energy.
[01:24:02.440]But if you want things to change, they have to be addressed.
[01:24:06.560]And that means you can't let people not address them.
[01:24:10.320]So, yeah.
[01:24:15.620]And the people who that it benefits,
[01:24:18.670]it actually benefits everybody.
[01:24:21.350]Even the people who feel like they're being oppressed
[01:24:24.380]by having to treat other people with respect.
[01:24:28.040]The reality is the only way to have a good climate
[01:24:31.320]is for everybody to be treated with respect.
[01:24:34.630]And again, providing support and accountability.
[01:24:38.810]Because we don't do any favors to anybody
[01:24:41.450]by letting them get away with bad behavior.
[01:24:45.100]If we wanna have a healthy society,
[01:24:47.570]we have to address the problematic issues that are present.
[01:24:52.360]And so, again that's not easy, find your supporters
[01:24:56.440]and because it is, you have to take a lot of time and energy
[01:25:01.320]to make things happen.
[01:25:03.490]And it's hard to do that by yourself.
[01:25:06.030]So figure out who your supporters are,
[01:25:08.950]where your allies may be
[01:25:11.090]and try to help create change.
[01:25:17.980]Thank you, Pat.
[01:25:19.250]And as we close,
[01:25:20.900]again, I wanna thank you all of our panelists for your time,
[01:25:25.810]sharing your experiences, your lived experiences,
[01:25:28.470]but also your areas in which you've been working diligently.
[01:25:32.470]And so this of course kind of wraps up
[01:25:36.000]our October session of NCLUDE.
[01:25:40.470]But we invite you,
[01:25:43.230]one, to attend December 8th NCLUDE session,
[01:25:46.700]which will feature Dominique Morgan.
[01:25:49.410]Dominique is an activist and a trans activist actually
[01:25:53.630]in Omaha.
[01:25:54.750]And we want to continue conversations
[01:25:56.690]where we want to not only think about these issues
[01:25:59.690]as we think about the at the university,
[01:26:01.590]but also they're happening in our state.
[01:26:03.740]We have a lot of great content for you
[01:26:05.900]for the December 8th session.
[01:26:07.640]We encourage you to join us then.
[01:26:09.550]You can visit the NCLUDE website
[01:26:11.430]just as you did beforehand,
[01:26:13.420]to not only join us, but to register for that event.
[01:26:16.090]Additional information will be coming out
[01:26:17.880]for our December 8th session.
[01:26:20.430]Which will start just as this one at 11:00 a.m.
[01:26:23.510]We also have dropped in the chat, some resources for you.
[01:26:27.630]We learned quite a bit today.
[01:26:29.360]We want to continue your education in this space.
[01:26:31.960]So in the chat you'll see a file
[01:26:34.431]that we just shared with you.
[01:26:35.480]And don't freak if you're not able to open it,
[01:26:37.350]or we have some people that left a little bit early.
[01:26:39.280]We will also be sending you out an email
[01:26:41.440]with the contents of all of this information.
[01:26:43.750]And then of course, we also have a link
[01:26:45.680]to a very short survey.
[01:26:47.650]Because we would not be the Office of Diversity
[01:26:48.937]and Inclusion if we did not want your feedback,
[01:26:52.870]not just your experiences today,
[01:26:54.520]but ways in which we're thinking
[01:26:55.790]about moving our work forward through NCLUDE.
[01:26:59.137]So you'll be receiving an email.
[01:27:01.500]We want you to stay in touch with all of his content.
[01:27:03.970]Again we've invited you out for State of Diversity,
[01:27:05.780]which will be held on tomorrow,
[01:27:08.660]because we love to equip you with the information
[01:27:10.810]that you need.
[01:27:11.887]Not only based off of your own respected journey,
[01:27:14.630]but ways we can advocate and serve as allies
[01:27:17.060]for the rest of our community.
[01:27:18.520]So again, thank you all so much.
[01:27:20.230]We hope you can join us for our December 8th session
[01:27:22.990]that will feature Dominique Morgan.
[01:27:24.810]And again, thank you to our panelists.
[01:27:26.680]We are very indebted to you all.
[01:27:29.970]And again, leave us some comments.
[01:27:31.550]Please take that survey.
[01:27:32.730]We always are looking for feedback.
[01:27:34.870]So thank you all.
[01:27:35.703]And we'll see you hopefully in December,
[01:27:37.520]if not, we'll see you tomorrow at State of Diversity.

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NCLUDE 10.20.21

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