Faculty & Staff Resources

• Avoid Roll Calls. Avoid calling out names or going through a roster call for the first day of class. Although all class rosters now have chosen names and pronouns on them, allowing students to introduce themselves and creating an optional opportunity to include their pronouns is the most inclusive way to begin your semester. You can also create a “get-to-know” activity or card to learn information about students.

• Be Aware of Your Language. Inclusive language is so important in ensuring that safe and inclusive spaces are developed inside and outside of the classroom setting. When students advise you of their names and pronouns, respect their identity by using them. Avoiding assumptions and use gender neutral pronouns such as they/them/theirs to address students whose pronouns you are unsure of.

• Model Inclusive Behavior. As the instructor, you will set the tone for your class. Modeling inclusive behavior, such as offering your pronouns at the start of class and being open to critique/correction when a mistake is made, will help to encourage your students to actively contribute to the class. Remember that your students will look to you to set an inclusive tone for the semester. 

• Increase Visibility. Avoid heteronormative and cisnormative practices of gendering individuals, groups or actions. For example: instead of asking if individuals have a girlfriend of boyfriend, try asking if they have a significant other. Include culturally relevant and, most importantly, culturally responsive pedagogy. You may also wish to bring LGBTQ+ content into your course curriculum or in-class discussions.

• Promote Understanding. To support LGBTQ+ students, you should also first learn about the community. Take advantage of Kenyon Pride: Safe Space Ally Training Program, on-campus workshops, online webinars, and other opportunities to learn about LGBTQ+ individuals and diverse communities.

• Brainstorm Solutions. Aid in brainstorming solutions with students about academic, social, personal and career success, rather than only offering immediate solutions. The ODEI has an extensive list of resources on our webpage to help you support your LGBTQ+ students with a variety of their needs.

• Facilitate and Support. Sanford’s Psychosocial Development Model notes to "Challenge and Support." The world is a challenging environment for LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly for students that also have additional multiple marginalized identities. Instead of overprotecting them, we can show them the tools to cope with the world around them, find the support structures and develop greater foundations within themselves.

• Advocate. Challenge heteronormative, cisnormative, homophobic and transphobic practices that you notice within the academy and the classroom. Even when diversity is not seemingly present in the room, act as an ambassador to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion is not forgotten.

• Equitable Treatment. Being treated equally is not enough to create safe, inclusive spaces. Equity is essential in making LGBTQ+ students feel like their campuses and their faculty interactions are meaningful, transformational, and high-quality connections. Equity allows for the needs of the individual to be met by taking into consideration that everyone, even within a similar population, is unique.

• Ask Questions. The ODEI is a great resource to learn about resources that can support student success in and out of the classroom settings, and we encourage questions about best practices for supporting an inclusive campus community. When a question arises, please feel free to ask how we can support you in fostering inclusion and equity across campus.

• Know Your Resources. Kenyon College has a great source of information for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff. Please explore the resources on this webpage and throughout the ODEI website, so that you can have these tools readily available.

• Get Involved on Campus. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion -- in collaboration with several LGBTQ+ organizations like Unity House, QDubs, QMS, Gender Group, oSTEM, and others -- plans various events throughout the year. Please be sure to check our event page and the campus-wide listservs for more information.

Adapted from Moorhead, C. (2005). “Advising lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in higher education. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources website.

Statement on Names and Pronouns:

As noted by the Office for Civil Rights, “Kenyon College embraces human diversity and is committed to diversity, equal employment opportunity and eliminating discrimination. This commitment is both a moral imperative consistent with an intellectual community that celebrates individual differences and diversity, as well as a matter of law."

One way that we show our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity is by using the name and pronouns that each of us go by. Many people might use a name that is different from their current legal name. In all areas of campus, we refer to people by the names, in addition to the pronouns, that they use for themselves. In the classroom, students are invited to share their names and the pronouns that they use, and it should be expected that members of our campus community use the names and pronouns that were shared. Students are also encouraged to use gender-neutral language, if they aren’t sure of someone’s pronouns.

For more information on Kenyon’s commitment to diversity and non-discrimination, please refer to the Office for Civil Rights and/or the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Statement Names and Pronouns:

As noted by the Office for Civil Rights, Kenyon College is committed to diversity, inclusion, equity and non-discrimination. Many people might use a name that is different from their current legal name. In all areas of campus, we refer to people by the names, in addition to the pronouns, that they use for themselves. Students are invited to share their names and the pronouns that they use. Students are also encouraged to use gender-neutral language, if they aren’t sure of someone’s pronouns.

For more information on Kenyon’s commitment to diversity and non-discrimination, please refer to the Office for Civil Rights and/or the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Statement Names and Pronouns:

In this class, we will respect people’s self-disclosed names and pronouns. Students are encouraged to use gender-neutral language, if they aren’t sure of someone’s pronouns.

For more information on Kenyon’s commitment to diversity and non-discrimination, please refer to the Office for Civil Rights and/or the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The employee health insurance plan provides coverage for various forms of HIV prevention, including both pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). For each of these forms of HIV prevention, the employee health insurance plan covers multiple medications, including Truvada, Descovy, and others. Additionally, HIV testing is also, of course, covered under the employee health insurance plan.

Important Update About HIV Prevention Medications: In summer 2021, the federal government announced that nearly all health insurers across the country must provide 1) coverage for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with no cost sharing and 2) coverage for related clinical visits and laboratory tests on a quarterly basis with no cost sharing. Insurers were granted 60 days from July 19, 2021 to comply with the new mandate. For informational updates related to coverage under your specific health insurance plan, reach out to the plan administrator, via the phone number on your insurance card, directly.

The employee health insurance plan provides coverage for a wide variety of medications, which may be prescribed to people living with HIV. While an anti-retroviral therapy (ART) regimen will vary depending upon each individual person’s medical needs, the employee health insurance plan offers numerous options to support the health of people living with HIV.

The employee health insurance provides coverage for transition-related hormone replacement therapy, via a variety of methods (i.e. pills, patches, balms, and injections). Additionally, related laboratory work is also, of course, covered under the employee health insurance plan.

Unlike many health insurance plans, our employee health insurance plan also covers a number of gender-affirmation surgeries for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Specifically, the employee health insurance plan covers nearly 20 different surgical procedures, including 1) various bottom surgeries for both trans-masculine and trans-feminine people and 2) top surgery for trans-masculine people.

As noted above, the employee health insurance plan provides coverage for a variety of hormone-related healthcare needs, which some intersex people may also have. Additionally, some intersex people may also need various bottom and/or top surgeries, and these, as noted above, may be covered, depending upon a specific diagnosis from your medical provider. Additionally, the employee health insurance plan — unlike many health insurance plans — also provides coverage for karyotyping (i.e. chromosomal analysis), when deemed clinically necessary.