Jeff Charis-Carlson

jcharisc@press-citizen.com

New and returning students at the University of Iowa will have the opportunity this fall to include their preferred names and gender pronouns as part of their student record.

Three years ago, UI became one of the first institutions in the nation to allow students to identify as transgender on their admissions application. A handful of other schools have since allowed students to include their preferred names and gender pronouns alongside their legal name and gender assigned at birth.

“These changes give students the agency to tell us what name and pronoun to use in our communication and interaction with them,” Jodi Lindley, assistant professor in the UI College of Education, said in a video released this week to announce the change.

The video includes UI students, faculty and staff members explaining which gender pronouns they preferred used to describe themselves. The majority use either he/him/his or she/her/hers, but others do not fit squarely into a male-female binary and prefer to use other options, such as they/their/theirs or ze/zem/zir.

“This is a very personal topic to many students,” said Rachel Zuckerman, president of UI Student Government. “The idea didn’t originate with (student government), but we’re promoting something that UISG fully supports.”

With more transgender students enrolling in Iowa’s three public universities, and a growing number of students transitioning after they arrive, many students find that the name and gender listed on their official documents do not match their gender identity or expression. They often can find themselves having to explain — to professors, classmates, security guards, librarians, cafeteria workers, etc. — why their appearance might not seem to match the name on their ID.

“Trans-identified students have to carry the burden and stress of disclosing their gender identity or risk being misnamed or misgendered,” Virginia Ibrahim-Olin, assistant director of contracts and assignments, said in the video.

Under the new policy, current students will be able to update their preferred name and gender pronouns in the university's MyUI online portal.

The new option for preferred pronouns will not be available at Iowa State University. The application for the Ames-based university includes only two gender options.

“At Iowa State, we’re becoming more informed on options as campus-wide conversation is occurring to determine the most inclusive way to ask these questions on our application, while working through systems and reporting considerations,” Katharine Johnson Suski, director of the ISU Office of Admissions, said via email.

ISU students are communicated with using the name they list on the application, Johnson Suski said. They can contact the office of admissions to change their name and gender as needed.

University of Northern Iowa officials did not immediately respond to questions about the application options for the Cedar Falls-based university.

The change at UI also comes at the same time that university officials are relabeling at least 87 single-user restrooms on campus with signs that read, “Anyone can use this restroom, regardless of gender identity or expression.”

This year, the U.S. departments of Education and Justice jointly released guidance clarifying that transgender students are protected from discrimination under federal civil rights law known as Title IX. Iowa colleges and universities risk losing federal funding if they don't comply with requirements for transgender students, according to the guidance.

The policy change is not required under the federal guidance, but UI officials said it is a step toward making the university more open and accessible to all students.

“Don’t make assumptions,” UI President Bruce Harreld said in the video. “Help us make the University of Iowa as inclusive and affirming as possible.”

Reach Jeff Charis-Carlson at jcharisc@press-citizen.com or 319-887-5435. Follow him on Twitter at @jeffcharis.