SUNY Student Assembly Calls for Increased Gender Inclusivity Within SUNY

 

Binghamton – The Executive Committee of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) passed a resolution requesting that the State University of New York adopt a policy of increased gender inclusivity both in physical facilities and in institutional language.  The resolution was put forth to the Assembly’s Executive Committee and passed during the Committee’s business meeting on Saturday, October 31.

 

The resolution was presented to the Executive Committee in order to support SUNY students of the Marginalized Orientations, Gender Identities, and Intersex (MOGII) community who often are not considered in general university policy and practices.  The resolution specifically calls upon SUNY to take action in providing gender inclusive facilities, which would include private bathrooms that can be used by any person regardless of gender.  It also asks SUNY to transition its policies and institutional technologies to those which use students’ primary names and preferred gender pronouns rather than their birth names and pronouns.

 

The resolution aims to generally eradicate policies and practices that do not support gender inclusivity and seeks to begin the process of offering educational training to faculty, staff, and students on the importance of gender inclusivity.

 

Chrisel Martinez, Chair of the SUNY Student Assembly’s Equity and Inclusion Committee and a senior at University at Albany, is thrilled by the passing of this resolution, saying, “The approval of this resolution is a proven step towards an equitable SUNY. As SUNY SA committee chairs, it is our goal to voice the needs and concerns that all SUNY students possess.  The members of the Equity and Inclusion Committee and I are content to see the passing of this resolution as we passionately advocate for the inclusivity of all.”

 

Zachary Beaudoin, Chair of the Sustainability Committee for the SUNY Student Assembly and a senior at SUNY Fredonia, commends the Executive Committee for their swift action. He stated, "Relating back to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #5, Gender Inequality, this resolution seeks to eliminate all barriers that members of the Marginalized Orientations, Gender Identities, and Intersex community may face. I'm proud and thankful that the Executive Committee has voted in favor of taking a strong step to ensure that we are providing equality and protective measures for all."

 

SUNY Student Assembly President Thomas Mastro, a senior at Binghamton University, views this resolution as true progress toward the goal of safety and inclusivity for the SUNY community. “A population of the students for whom we advocate are members of the MOGII community and struggle daily with policies at their universities that do not support them. They, along with a staggering number of our students who do not identify as members of this community, view this as a major problem, and I applaud the Executive Committee for working towards fixing this problem.  The passing of this resolution will assist in ensuring equality and inclusivity for all members of the campus community, both within and outside of SUNY.”

 

The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is an organization comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses.

 

Empowering students throughout the state, the SUNY SA is committed to student life and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level as well as throughout the SUNY system.

 

Source: The Student Assembly of the State University of New York