Spring 2014
Committee:
Equity and Diversity Committee
Whereas, Some individuals – especially, but not exclusively, within the trans, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, and gender nonbinary communities – choose a preferred name that differs from their legal name, but may not have undergone, or wish to undergo, the process of legally changing their name prior to enrolling in a community college;
Whereas, The current CCCApply Application form restricts name fields to a prospective student's legal name and only alternative names that have been used on prior records, thereby prohibiting individuals with preferred names that have not been used on previous records from entering them into their college's official records;
Whereas, This restriction is discriminatory and contrary to Section 66010.2 of the California Education Code and the Equity in Higher Education Act, by preventing students from fully presenting as their identified genders, often causing students to out themselves during roll call, and otherwise making such students potentially jeopardize their comfort and safety; and
Whereas, A 2012 study by the McClelland Institute found that the more contexts in which a transgender or gender nonconforming individual can use their chosen preferred name, the greater their psychological wellbeing;
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urges the CCCApply Steering Committee to update the CCCApply Application form to allow for the inputting of preferred names as well as legal names; and
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges shall work with local Associated Student Organizations at community colleges that have not implemented CCCApply, in order to encourage the updating of local community college application forms to allow for the inputting of preferred names as well as legal names.
Whereas, The current CCCApply Application form restricts name fields to a prospective student's legal name and only alternative names that have been used on prior records, thereby prohibiting individuals with preferred names that have not been used on previous records from entering them into their college's official records;
Whereas, This restriction is discriminatory and contrary to Section 66010.2 of the California Education Code and the Equity in Higher Education Act, by preventing students from fully presenting as their identified genders, often causing students to out themselves during roll call, and otherwise making such students potentially jeopardize their comfort and safety; and
Whereas, A 2012 study by the McClelland Institute found that the more contexts in which a transgender or gender nonconforming individual can use their chosen preferred name, the greater their psychological wellbeing;
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urges the CCCApply Steering Committee to update the CCCApply Application form to allow for the inputting of preferred names as well as legal names; and
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges shall work with local Associated Student Organizations at community colleges that have not implemented CCCApply, in order to encourage the updating of local community college application forms to allow for the inputting of preferred names as well as legal names.