The committee leading the push to include gender identity in the university's anti-discrimination guidelines has changed its proposal.
The Executive Committee for Academic Council voted Tuesday to propose an amendment to the university's anti-discrimination policy that would include gender identity under the harassment section of the policy. The original proposal aimed to place gender identity in both the discrimination and harassment segments of the anti-discrimination policy.
The committee approved the proposal, and the policy recommendations now head to the full Academic Council, which is made up of students, faculty and administrators. The Academic Council will meet on Sept. 23 to decide on the issue.
If the Academic Council approves the proposal, it goes to the MSU Board of Trustees - the highest governing body in the university - before the change can officially be made to the policy.
Last year, a special committee was formed by ASMSU members specifically to address the gender-identity issue. The committee wanted to add a footnote to the anti-discrimination policy as early as 2002 and proposed the original amendment to the Academic Council and McPherson last spring.
In a written statement, McPherson said he had concerns about the clarity of the rules for anti-discrimination. He said in order for someone to be charged with discrimination, the rules must be clearly laid out to explain what constitutes discrimination.
"I continue to have concerns regarding the practicality of the proposed changes, particularly with respect to our ability to reasonably implement an enhanced definition of gender that is perceived by some as vague and ambiguous," McPherson said in the statement.
Executive Committee for Academic Council members said the proposal needed to be looked at further in order to understand the implications of implementing the policy.
"We understood the concerns McPherson had last year with the amendment proposal, and in consideration we substituted the amendment to remove the change in the discrimination clause," said Jon Sticklen, chairman of the committee.
Adam Raezler, one of ASMSU's undergraduate representatives serving on the committee, said in order for students to get fair treatment, they must have protection under both the discrimination and harassment clauses.
"Putting gender identity under the harassment policy is only half the pie, and by not putting it under the anti-discrimination policy as well, students are getting the latter half of the pie," Raezler said.
