Gender Inclusive Facilities at UC Santa Cruz

UC Santa Cruz is strongly committed to building and maintaining a campus environment that supports and values all members of our community including visitors. Our campus is implementing new University of California Guidelines for Providing Gender Inclusive Facilities issued by President Napolitano and effective as of July 1, 2015.

The guidelines were the result of recommendations made to President Napolitano by the UC Task Force and Implementation Team on LGBT Culture and Inclusion. Our own Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Herbie Lee, who also serves as the Campus Diversity Officer-Faculty, was a member of the task force.

In accordance with the university’s nondiscrimination policies, these guidelines “seek to create an inclusive campus environment for transgender and gender variant people.“ The guidelines affirm that individuals have the rights to use facilities that correspond with their gender identity and focus on providing a safe environment, consistent with our Principles of Community and other efforts that promote civility and respect. Failure to do so is considered a violation of the UC Nondiscrimination Policy. Gender inclusion should provide access and equality by creating and maintaining an environment that is accessible, safe, and respectful of all individuals.

UC Santa Cruz began converting single occupancy restrooms into gender inclusive facilities on the main campus long before the new UC guidelines were issued as a result of effective advocacy efforts and forward thinking on the part of students, and supportive staff and faculty. These efforts are just a beginning and only part of our continuing efforts to create and maintain an inclusive campus environment.

For more information, please contact Jean Marie Scott (jmscott@ucsc.edu) or Traci Ferdolage (tferdola@ucsc.edu).

We invite you to join us in working to ensure everyone at UC Santa Cruz feels that they are welcome and valued members of our community.