Syracuse University is working to ensure increased gender inclusivity for LGBTQ students on MySlice by adding a preferred pronoun option, officials with Information Technology Services and the LGBT Resource Center said.  

MySlice, the university’s online portal for applicants, students, faculty and staff, added a preferred name option in 2016. A preferred pronoun option is in the works with a targeted September 2019 launch, said Erik Anderson, director of ITS’s Enterprise Technology Group, in an email.  

The functionality for preferred pronouns and their implementation will be reviewed between now and September, he added. Representatives from the LGBT Resource Center and ITS, as well as undergraduate and graduate student representatives, will spearhead those efforts.  

Student Association President Ghufran Salih said the correct expression of a student’s pronoun is essential for students and professors alike, as it would help avoid uncomfortable situations based on gender identity.  

“Gender identity can be a tough thing for students to discuss,” Salih said. “As representatives of student needs, we are working to get members on the advisory committee for this project and help them achieve the change they are seeking.” 

Anderson said the prefered pronoun option may be included on MySlice after the next update. He said that the current system works effectively, with more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff having used the portal to change their preferred name in the system.  

The Preferred Name, Pronoun, and Gender Advisory Council, chaired by LGBT Resource Center Director khristian kemp-delisser, will be instrumental in the effort to introduce a preferred pronoun option, Anderson said. The council, formed in May, holds focus group sessions with students, faculty and staff.  

The council is gathering information to help understand student needs so they can best establish the preferred pronoun option for SU’s LGBTQ community, kemp-delisser said.  

“This will add another layer to sharing one’s identity online along with the preferred name option introduced two years ago,” kemp-delisser added. 

kemp-delisser said one factor to consider when looking at increasing gender inclusivity is to make sure the process of changing preferred pronouns is completed in a timely and precise manner. Once the preferred pronoun option is implemented, students will be able to directly establish their identity online without going through administrative barriers, they said.  

But there are still technical issues to address regarding the preferred name option. Hitting submit and changing the preferred name doesn’t ensure that the change is reflected in every system database, which is something MySlice’s technical team will have to address when moving forward with the preferred pronoun plan, they said.  

Quincy Nolan, a student assistant at the LGBT Resource Center, said the move will increase inclusivity at SU.  

“SU will definitely emerge more inclusive towards queer individuals with this step,” Nolan said. “It would help reduce the number of mistakes we see occurring when the wrong reference is made to one’s gender on campus.”

Published on October 10, 2018 at 9:16 pm

Contact L.A.M.: lymichae@syr.edu