LGBTQIA+ Student Support Policy

General

1. Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) strives to create and sustain an inclusive, supportive, safe, and nondiscriminatory community for all students and employees. This policy applies to all university departments and organizations.

2. EMU does not exclude, separate, deny benefits to, or otherwise treat differently on the basis of sex any person in its educational programs or activities unless otherwise permitted to do so under Title IX or its implementing regulations for the safety and well-being of a student.

3. EMU’s nondiscrimination policy reads: “Eastern Mennonite University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, age, disability, and national/ethnic origin in administration of its employment and educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.”

4. Further, EMU expects community members to treat a person’s gender identity as the person’s sex for purposes of the non-discrimination policy. This means that community members may not treat a transgender person differently from the way they treat other persons of the same gender identity, regardless of the sex of the person assigned at birth.
   
   

Notification

Specifically, with regards to individuals who are transgender:

1. If a student or employee desires to be treated consistent with a gender identity that differs from previous representations or records, EMU , upon receiving written notification from the student or employee, will make reasonable efforts to treat the individual consistent with the individual’s stated gender identity.

2. EMU’s non-discrimination policy does not require a medical or mental health diagnosis to allow the student or employee to be treated consistent with their gender identity.

3. Following notification by a student or employee, EMU will convene an administrative support team to work with the individual to address the individual’s needs, including name and pronoun use at the university. Trusting and respectful relationships can be built by ensuring that students’ or employees’ correct name and gender pronoun are used when interacting. This can set the tone for a more respectful and trusting relationship.
   
   

Records

Specifically, with regards to individuals who are transgender:

1. A student or employee may request that their correct name and gender identity be used in internal records such as the Registrar’s office, Admissions, Student Life, or Human Resources. In accordance with the non-discrimination policy, a court-ordered name or gender change is not required for a student or employee to request that their internal university records be modified.

2. Information provided to outside agencies (e.g., Social Security Office, Internal Revenue Service, SCHEV, IPEDS, NCAA) will be consistent with the requirements of the agency and may or may not include a student or employee’s legal name and gender identity or preferred name and gender identity.
   
   

Privacy

Specifically, with regards to individuals who are transgender:

1. Protecting a transgender student’s or employee’s privacy is important to ensuring they are treated consistent with their gender identity. In some cases, a student or employee may want the university and students to know that they are transgender, and in other cases may not want this information to be widely known. University employees should take reasonable care to respect the individual’s preference and not inadvertently disclose information that is intended to be kept private or, in the case of students, may be protected from disclosure by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

2. Efforts should be made to address students and employees by the names and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity. Using the student’s correct name and pronoun promotes the safety and wellbeing of the student. The preferred name should be included in any public online directory, as well as any class roster or employee list, in order to inform faculty and staff of the name and pronoun to use when addressing the individual.

3. The persistent refusal to respect the gender identity of a student or employee constitutes harassment.

Access to Facilities

Specifically, with regards to individuals who are transgender:

1. Consistent with the non-discrimination policy, a student or employee may access university facilities that correspond to their stated gender identity, including but not limited to locker rooms, bathrooms, and residence halls, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s official records.
   
   

Policy Violations

1. Harassment of transgender individuals constitutes gender-based harassment under the university’s Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy.

2. Gender-based harassment means acts of aggression, intimidation, stalking, or hostility based on gender or gender-stereotyping. Gender-based harassment can occur if students are harassed either for exhibiting what is perceived as a stereotypical characteristic of their sex, or for failing to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity, femininity, or androgyny.

3. To constitute harassment, the conduct must be unwelcomed and unreasonably interfere with an individual’s education or educational activities or create an objectively intimidating, hostile, demeaning, or offensive academic or living environment.

4. Any violations of this policy for students should be reported to the university’s Title IX Coordinator, titleixcoordinator@emu.edu , or on the incident report form, found at https://emu.edu/safecampus/ For more information, please see the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct policy and other information at https://emu.edu/titleix.
   
   

Intercultural Studies Programs

1. EMU Intercultural Studies programs will have specific supplementary policies and procedures available fall 2019.
   
   

Residence Life

1. Residence Life has specific complementary policies and procedures, which can be viewed in the Residence Life section of the student handbook under Non-discriminatory Access to University Housing.
   
   

Questions

Any questions about this policy should be directed to the university’s Title IX Coordinator at titleixcoordinator@emu.edu.