A Matter of When "It is no longer a matter of whether to provide services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) college students; rather, it is a matter of when. " (Sanlo, 1998) Clemson University Team Leader: Sara Bartles Alex Grabowska, Braylon Junior, Trianne Smith

LEARNING OUTCOMES Have a basic understanding of the Trans* Identity Understand the lived reality of Trans* students at universities Understand what we do well Learn areas of progress

Welcoming Environment In order to created campus environment that is inclusive and welcoming of Transgender community, our committee is focusing on three areas: 1) Providing inclusive physical facilities 2) Improving campus climate through educating the community on Transgender identity and issues 3) Connecting the Transgender Community with on campus and off campus resources

What does it mean to be Transgender?

Group Discussion on Transgender Students What have we noticed about our campus climate in regard to transgender students? What services do our transgender students need? How visible are our transgender students? What areas could prove most difficult for our transgender students?

Physical Facilities Physical Facilities are a large factor in welcoming the Transgender population. Ensuring that there are facilities available that do not force a Transgender students to announce their gender identity and to ensure that Transgender students remain safe is paramount to created an inclusive community. Creating a welcoming environment means going beyond having facilities available. Facilities should be easily accessible and not isolate the students. Take a moment to imagine you a transgender student. How would the physical facilities impact your day to day work? Do you have an available bathroom in your office? Can you change clothing in your traditional style residence hall?

Campus Strengths Currently, our university has several positive facilities that are inclusive to the Trans* community. The facilities and their strengths are listed below: All university bathrooms have at least on single use bathroom per floor. All recreation facilities have unisex locker rooms. Health Centers are trained and equipped to provide medical, both physically and mentally, for the population. A multicultural center exists on campus and has staff knowledgeable on Trans* issues

Areas of Improvement Gendered signage on single use bathrooms can be changed to Unisex. The multicultural center can created dedicate space for the LGBTQ+ population. Housing and Residential Life can explore gender neutral housing options, including potentially incorporating a Living Learning Community.

Campus Climate Do students need or want to be social aware and conscience? We know this from the campus climate survey that came out last week Our student body of 35,000 students, we know we have at least 13 students that identify as transgender at the time when they enrolled. Which means we have at least 13 students that we need to better service Our goal is to have all of our students feel welcomed and a part of our campus

Campus Strengths As a university, we orientate each incoming freshman class on a verity of topics including LGBTQ issues and resources we provide. We do this so all students know what resources we provide if thy find they, or a fellow classmate needs this resource at any time during their college career here. We also provide Safe Space training for any student, staff, or faculty member who would like additional training in LGBTQ knowledge and topics.

Areas of Improvement To improve campus knowledge end education about transgender issues, we recommend that all Housing Life staff are Safe Space trained and participate in an open dialoged about transgender issues. We will also require all Health Services staff members to be extensity trained on best practices within the mental and physical health services field for transgender students To encourage the general student body to learn more about transgender issues, we will offer more times for Safe Space training and will do more training in residential halls were 97% of our freshmen class lives.

Connecting to the Community In order to provide a safe and welcoming place for our students, we need to identify community partners in conjunction with our internal development with whom we can develop trans friendly initiatives. Many of these partners, and partnerships, may already exist. Below is a non-exhaustive list of campus resources that already have community partnerships: Alumni Foundation, Conduct and Judicial Office, Athletics, Campus Activities, Community Engagement Office, Student Government, Service Learning Office, Police Department, Multicultural Office, Waste Management

Connecting to the Community Iowa and Transgender Inclusion State law impacts the inclusion of transgender individuals within school and the workplace. Iowa, across the board, is referred to as being ‘good’ on scales from unacceptable to very good in regard to inclusive transgender laws and policies. Gender identity and expression are legally protected from discrimination in both public and private employment Gender identity has laws in place to address bullying, including cyber bullying, which extend to both public and private entities

Connecting to the Community, Continued Local organizations may be very interested in collaboration based on the desire to become more inclusive. Numerous faith-based entities are moving towards creating more inclusive environments, but often lack the resources to effectively move forward on these initiatives. Accessible resources provided by our institution, including Ally training, could help broach this need. City administration and management are constantly looking for community-based programming and event ideas. Helping to develop pride events or bring in speakers accessible to the community may open up unexplored avenues. Grass-Roots organizers and content experts may live in the community, it’s a matter of creating spaces where these individuals can be identified. Our primary responsibility is to create connections and provide support. The following PDF outlines potential means with which to generate buy- in from community members: http://www.adl.org/assets/pdf/education-outreach/transgender-identity-and-issues.pdf

Campus (& Community) Strengths Community/Regional Resources: One Iowa: http://oneiowa.org/work/transgender-iowans/ Iowa Pride Network Gay, Straight Alliance The Des Moines Pride Center: http://www.dsmpridecenter.com *Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Clinic: https://www.uihealthcare.org/Clinic.aspx?id=235214 Lambda Legal: http://www.lambdalegal.org *Indicates primary sponsorship by college or university

Strengths Continued Availability of resources are limited, both in number and by geographic location Online informational resources are accessible Resources are often limited to legal and health-related subjects Present and active social communities are especially limited Majority of resources exist for entirety of LGBTQ community with specific emphasis on Trans Folk. Dedicated resources for trans folk do not exist within our surrounding community Campus Multicultural Center is the only physical resource available within the area

Identifying Initiatives Current accommodations and initiatives on campus are limited. Gender Inclusive restrooms are not readily available Gender Inclusive housing is not present On-Campus student organization(s) not present/recognized Ally Training is not required of staff or faculty Limited academic programs that incorporate LGBTQ history/education What kinds of steps can we take in the present? Identify single staff restrooms on campus and change signs Ensure availability of gender inclusive restrooms for university-sponsored events Develop gender-inclusive housing policies Conduct benchmarking assessments Develop community partnerships

Action Plan Overall, the university has all of the key components in place to create an welcoming environment if intentional energy was used to utilize them. Physical facilities can be improved by changing signage to improve the already private and secure spaces on campus. Increased use by both Transgender students and no transgender students will make living and study on campus more ubiquitous. Increased training and educational programs with inform faculty, staff, and students, laying the ground work for discussion, dialogue, and understanding. Connecting the Transgender population to the larger community will allow them a larger range of support with a population that understand the specific needs of the students. Creating stronger connections with these community organizations will increase the connectedness students feel not only to the university but the larger area.