Equity, Diversity and Inclusion FAQ

You may hear a staff member introduce themselves with their name and pronouns, or you might have seen a staff member’s pronouns listed in their e-mail signature. We do this to combat assumptions that people might make about a person’s gender identity based on their appearance or name; but also respecting and acknowledging someone’s pronouns helps to create a more inclusive environment. Housing & Residence Life values sharing our pronouns to normalize learning about gender pronouns in our residential environment.

Some of the information here was inspired by this site, where you can learn more about what personal pronouns are and why they matter.

Students may request to share a gender inclusive bedroom/pod/suite (including the common areas and bathroom facilities) in their Housing Application.

If you choose this option, your room/pod/suitemates will be assigned through the matching of responses to the profile questions, regardless of with which gender you or they identify. Please note that if you select YES, you are agreeing to share a room (and bathroom, etc.) with a student who may be a different gender than the one with which you identify. (For example, if you identify with being female, you could be sharing a room with a student who identifies as being male or non-binary, who selected yes to this question and has similar preferences).

Residence Fellows are bound by confidentiality except when they learn of intended harm to self or others. They will not discuss your identity with others without your consent.

Student and professional Residence Life Staff receive training and development opportunities related to student equity concerns, so talk to your Residence Fellow! They may be able to address the comments on the floor confidentially. If the comments persist, professional Residence Life Staff may get involved in order to resolve the issue.