For UCCS students, staff and faculty who have not yet learned about pronoun use, are unsure about how to use certain pronouns or do not know what pronouns to use for someone and when, there are resources that can help educate you on the subject.
MOSAIC Director Whitley Hadley, who uses she/her and they/them pronouns, wrote via email that the MOSAIC office has “a couple of resources available to the UCCS community around pronoun comprehension, usage, and processes.”
These resources include a name and pronoun changing guide, an online “pronouns 101” page, a list of hate and bias resources and free pronoun buttons located in UC 110 that members of the community can wear around campus.
“DeJae Spears (they/he) is the LGBTQ+ Coordinator in the [MOSAIC] office and available for both individual and group meetings,” Hadley said. “Students can schedule [a meeting with] them via Starfish, by email, by phone, or by stopping by the office [to learn more about pronoun use].”
Hadley said, in addition to the Safe Zone and Trans Ally Zone trainings offered by MOSAIC throughout the semester, “Inside Out Youth Services…[also] offer a variety of resources and trainings for the community.”
Students can get in contact with Inside Out Youth Services by calling 719-328-1056, or reaching out via email here.
Canvas also provides a setting for students, staff and faculty members to include their pronouns on their profile next to their name. More information on this setting can be accessed here.
Hadley recommends that, for in-person classes, students also update their information in MyUCCS so that their pronouns are listed next to their name on class rosters.
They said, “[It is] a stronger practice to introduce yourself and include your pronouns to help cultivate an environment that recognizes gender diversity.”
Hadley has noticed a sense of confusion among UCCS community members about proper pronoun etiquette in the classroom. “If issues persist where they are being misgendered or a faculty member refuses to address them correctly, then I encourage [students] to meet with Vice Chancellor Spaulding in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Dean [Amanda] Allee in the Dean of Students Office,” she said.
“This helps [UCCS] best support the student in the way they best deem fit whether that’s just talking, a mediated session with a faculty member, reporting the issue to the Provost, connection to student organizations or support groups, coordinating campus programming, or other options,” Hadley said.
Students can get in contact with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by calling (719) 255-4762, or emailing [email protected].
During Trans Week of Remembrance, MOSAIC hosted a “Pronouns 101: Using Inclusive Language” crash course for members of the UCCS community looking for an introductory workshop on pronoun usage, which was just one of several LGBTQ+ events that MOSAIC has hosted throughout the semester.
“[We] have staff and faculty members seeking ongoing training and workshops so they can best provide a gender diverse affirming campus/classroom/office,” Hadley said.
“We also encourage all members of the community to engage in our ongoing programming across identities which add depth to their knowledge through our panels, discussion groups, film screenings, music listening parties, volunteering, book clubs, and other mediums of engagement.”
Additional resources on campus for information related to pronouns include the Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center, the Kraemer Family Library and the Spectrum club at UCCS. “The Wellness Center offers a LGBTQ+ support group with two trained professionals,” Hadley said, “[and] the library has a great collection of LGBTQ+ titles and books about gender diversity.”
Information about the newly renovated MOSAIC office can be accessed here, and information about upcoming MOSAIC events can be accessed here.