ERIC Number: ED586104
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jun
Pages: 120
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Being Seen, Being Counted: Establishing Expanded Gender and Naming Declarations
Scott, Kai; Dennis, Drew
British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer
This report explores how to make educational systems more inclusive and responsive to transgender, non-binary, and Two Spirit (TNB2S) applicants and students. This is achieved through two broad means, namely using systems to: (1) collect and store relevant personal information (including name and pronouns) to inform and support respectful interactions and communications; and (2) compile and apply aggregate gender data to drive strategic and ongoing institutional changes to address the specific needs and interest of TNB2S students across the institution. A total of 109 stakeholders and informants were engaged to shed light on the complex and nuanced factors to support effective decision-making on these matters. They included voices, experiences, and perspectives from TNB2S and cisgender students, Two Spirit members, registrars from British Columbia, Ontario, and the United States, government agencies, and systems providers. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and desk-based sources, stakeholders and informants each provided one piece of the puzzle to inform the whole picture. Stakeholders and informants provided insights into how to handle common names (as distinct from legal names) and pronouns for optimized, respectful interactions with TNB2S students in classrooms and across campus. Desk-based research revealed six different options for expanded gender categories. Stakeholders and informants also surfaced 11 key issues for consideration when identifying the costs and benefits of each of the options identified. In order to balance and weight these diverse and sometimes competing objectives, a structured decision-making (SDM) approach was adopted to clearly and transparently demonstrate the recommended option in a manner that can be replicated by others. The report concludes with details to consider when implementing the recommendations to ensure coordination and integration across institutional systems, practices, and facilities. These considerations include staff and faculty training, student information sessions, strong rationale for data collection and definitions of terms (especially uncommon ones), heightened security measures to keep gender data confidential, and the application and reporting of gender data. [The British Columbia Council of Admissions and Transfers (BCCAT) contracted TransFocus Consulting (TFC) for the purposes of conducting research and stakeholder consultation.]
Descriptors: Sexual Identity, Identification (Psychology), College Students, Foreign Countries, Interviews, Focus Groups, Surveys, Student Attitudes, Stakeholders, Language Usage, Naming, Registrars (School), Information Management, Interaction, Student Characteristics, Classification, Indigenous Populations
British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer. 709-555 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 3H6, Canada. Tel: 604-412-7700; Fax: 604-683-0576; e-mail: info@bccat.ca; Web site: http://www.bccat.ca
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: British Columbia Registrars Association (BCRA) (Canada)
Authoring Institution: British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) (Canada)
Identifiers - Location: Canada; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A