Whereas, Through the California Virtual Campus - Online Education Initiative, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has facilitated Canvas as the course management system for California’s community colleges, and participating colleges are using Canvas for online, hybrid and web-enhanced classes;
Whereas, Many LGBTQ+ students use a preferred name instead of their legal name and face discrimination or harm if forced to respond by their legal name;
Whereas, Canvas allows colleges to enable a preferred name option, which can be used to avoid the discrimination and harm endured by many LGTBQ+ students; and
Whereas, Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance, stating “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local academic senates to request that their colleges and districts enable the Canvas Name Preference Option and encourage their faculty to use the preferred name option with their students.
MSU