Provost Jayanth Banavar and Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh have reaffirmed the university’s commitment to support students, faculty members and staff of all gender identities.
Their message came in response to recent reports that the federal government is planning to narrow the definition of gender under the landmark legislation of Title IX.
“We will continue to track this issue and to remind everyone that the University of Oregon is a place where we value all people of all gender identities,” Banavar and Alex-Assensoh stated in the update to campus. “Regardless of what happens at the federal level, UO leadership will always make it a priority to protect the rights of everyone in our community.”
The full text of the message is also posted on Office of the Provost website.
Dear Colleagues,
At the University of Oregon, we value a campus environment that is free of discrimination, that treats people with dignity and respect, and that creates a feeling of safety for everyone.
We want to remind the UO community of this because there have been some troubling news reports lately about the federal administration potentially taking some kind of action in the future to narrowly define gender under the landmark legislation of Title IX. While the federal administration has not officially commented on the issue, it is something that is creating a high level of uneasiness and distress for some of our students, faculty, and staff who identify as transgender or non-binary.
We will continue to track this issue and to remind everyone that the University of Oregon is a place where we value all people of all gender identities. Regardless of what happens at the federal level, UO leadership will always make it a priority to protect the rights of everyone in our community.
As we have affirmed in the past, all UO students, faculty, and staff have every right to live in a community that treats everyone with dignity and respect. Our university will always enforce policies and practices that support students of all gender identities. This 2017 memo from our Title IX Coordinator describes the University’s approach to these protections, all of which will remain strong on our campus.
We at the UO insist on a community that is free of any discrimination. Students, faculty, and staff have every right to be safe and feel comfortable at UO, and to access and participate in education, services, programs and activities, regardless of gender identity or expression.
There are a variety of resources available on campus for anyone who might feel concerned about their well-being. We encourage you to look at the following links for more information:
https://counseling.uoregon.edu/resources
https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/ideal-framework
Let us all be respectful and understanding in our work and how we treat each other.
Sincerely,
Jayanth Banavar, Provost and Senior Vice President
Yvette Alex-Assensoh, Vice President of the Division of Equity and Inclusion