Spring 2014
Committee:
Equity and Diversity Committee
Whereas, The 2008 National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force showed that a significant portion of the LGBT community identify as more than one gender or as gender nonbinary;
Whereas, California Education Code Section 66027(a)(1) requests that community colleges allow for students to disclose their gender and gender identity in forms that are used for the collection of demographic data;
Whereas, The current CCCApply Application form is used by over 100 of the 112 community colleges in California for handling applications, as well as being utilized to collect demographic data, and only allows individuals to list their gender according to the categories of “Male”, “Female”, and “Decline to State”; and
Whereas, These categories do not allow for all students to disclose their gender or gender identity information, delegitimize the genders and gender identities of students who do not identify as either male or female, restrict the ability of genderqueer or gender nonbinary students to identify their gender and/or gender identity on forms used for the collection of demographic data, and therefore fail to comply with the Equity in Higher Education Act and Sections 66010.2 and 66027(a)(1) of California Education Code;
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urges the CCCApply Steering Committee to update the CCCApply Application form to eliminate the gender category restriction of “Male”, “Female”, and “Decline to State”, and to instead allow for students to write in their responses to this question; 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 use of write-in responses on application forms for gender and gender identity related questions.
Whereas, California Education Code Section 66027(a)(1) requests that community colleges allow for students to disclose their gender and gender identity in forms that are used for the collection of demographic data;
Whereas, The current CCCApply Application form is used by over 100 of the 112 community colleges in California for handling applications, as well as being utilized to collect demographic data, and only allows individuals to list their gender according to the categories of “Male”, “Female”, and “Decline to State”; and
Whereas, These categories do not allow for all students to disclose their gender or gender identity information, delegitimize the genders and gender identities of students who do not identify as either male or female, restrict the ability of genderqueer or gender nonbinary students to identify their gender and/or gender identity on forms used for the collection of demographic data, and therefore fail to comply with the Equity in Higher Education Act and Sections 66010.2 and 66027(a)(1) of California Education Code;
Resolved, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges strongly urges the CCCApply Steering Committee to update the CCCApply Application form to eliminate the gender category restriction of “Male”, “Female”, and “Decline to State”, and to instead allow for students to write in their responses to this question; 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 use of write-in responses on application forms for gender and gender identity related questions.