Follow-up to community conversation on pronoun policy

Thank you, Rainbow Union for engaging in a collective discussion in response to the new pronoun policy!

As we continue to grow our community's understanding of best practices when it comes to pronouns, Rainbow Union has offered our campus community this collection of practices at Drake:

1) Professors should share their pronouns at the beginning of class at the start of the semester;

2) Professors should encourage students to share their pronouns in their introductions; and

3) No student should be publicly singled out and asked for their pronouns.

If a professor is unaware of a student's pronouns, the members of Rainbow Union prefer to be asked their pronouns after class privately. If a professor is unsure of someone's pronouns, even if they seem cis-passing, it is appreciated for professors to ask for clarification. This is not experienced as disrespectful.

Reminder: all students, staff, and faculty may now self-select a pronoun from the list provided on the Personal Information page in Self Service. If a pronoun is selected it will be viewable by members of the University community in Starfish, Blackboard, Zoom, and class lists. Other details about replacing pronouns and review of the list can be found at: drake.edu/policy/category/academics/studentpronounpolicy/.