Loyola University: A Safe Space For Transgender Students?

how accepting is loyola university to transgender students

Loyola University Maryland and Loyola University Chicago are both accepting of transgender students. Loyola University Maryland has a LGBTQPIA+ information hub, which provides information for prospective and current students and employees, as well as services and resources related to diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. The university also has a LGBTQPIA+ Peer Mentorship Program, a weekly support group called In, Out, & In Between, and Prism, a QPOC support group. Loyola University Chicago has a preferred name policy that allows students to use their chosen name in many circumstances on campus. Both universities have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity and offer resources and support for transgender students.

Characteristics Values
Loyola University Maryland's non-discrimination and harassment policies Include sexual orientation and gender identity
Loyola University Maryland's institutional Core Values statement on diversity Includes sexual orientation and gender identity
Loyola University Maryland's student health insurance policy Covers services for transgender students
Loyola University Maryland's bathrooms Open to all genders, with an individual stall layout
Loyola University Maryland's single-use facilities Designated with all-gender signage
Loyola University Maryland's international experiences and facilities Live up to the inclusive practices of the rest of the Loyola campus
Loyola University Maryland's varsity athletes Guided by the NCAA transgender inclusion policy
Loyola University Maryland's student delegation Sent to IgnatianQ, a yearly conference that brings together the community of LGBTQPIA+ folks (and allies) at Jesuit universities from across the U.S.
Loyola University Maryland's LGBTQPIA+ Peer Mentorship Program Offers support and resources to LGBTQPIA+ students
Loyola University Maryland's support groups Include "In, Out, & In Between" and "Prism," a QPOC support group
Loyola University Chicago's "Preferred Name" policy Allows students to use their preferred name in many circumstances on campus
Loyola University Maryland's graduate admissions application Offers only “male” or “female” options, but students can send an email to the Office of the Registrar to change their name in internal records

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Loyola University's preferred name policy

Loyola University Maryland has a number of policies and initiatives in place to support transgender students. Firstly, the university's non-discrimination and harassment policies explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. The university's institutional Core Values statement on diversity affirms the diversity of human experience and the dignity of all persons. Loyola University Maryland also offers a range of resources and support for transgender students, including gender-neutral bathrooms and insurance coverage for transgender students' healthcare services. The university also has a policy for transgender inclusion in varsity athletics, guided by the NCAA policy.

In terms of preferred names, Loyola University Chicago has a Preferred Name Policy that allows students, faculty, and staff to use a name other than their legal/primary name to identify themselves. This policy recognises that members of the university community may use names that differ from their legal names and allows them to choose to be identified by their preferred name in some university systems. The preferred name can be designated by current students and employees through the LOCUS system, and it will appear in various places, including class rosters, faculty directories, and student IDs. The university will not accept preferred names that are vulgar, offensive, or create confusion with another individual. Former students and employees cannot add or update a preferred name.

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Loyola's LGBTQ+ Services

Loyola University Maryland has a number of services and initiatives in place to support its LGBTQ+ students and create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. The university is guided by the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis, which means "care of the whole person". This value underpins the university's commitment to respecting and responding to the unique needs of individuals.

The university's non-discrimination and harassment policies explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. Loyola University Maryland's institutional Core Values statement on diversity affirms the dignity of all persons and includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The university also has a policy for transgender student-athletes that is guided by the NCAA transgender inclusion policy.

In terms of facilities, Loyola University Maryland has gender-neutral bathrooms in the Thrive Center for Student Success and the Fernandez Center, as well as in any single-use facilities. The university also offers a three-part Safe Zone training programme to employees and some student groups, which covers LGBTQ+ awareness, inclusion, and allyship.

Loyola University Maryland also has a LGBTQPIA+ Peer Mentorship Program, a weekly support group called "In, Out, & In Between", and Prism, a QPOC support group. The university hosts and attends IgnatianQ, a yearly conference that brings together the LGBTQPIA+ community and allies from Jesuit universities across the US.

Additionally, the university provides resources and support for transgender students studying abroad, working to ensure that international experiences and facilities align with the inclusive practices of the Loyola campus.

Loyola University Chicago, another Jesuit institution, has implemented a "preferred name" policy, allowing students to use their chosen name in many circumstances on campus, including in class rosters, email systems, and online classroom resources. This policy was implemented to support transgender students and was initiated by campus groups like the Gender Exploration Understanding Support Society.

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Transgender student-athletes

Loyola University Maryland has developed a policy guided by the NCAA transgender inclusion policy for varsity athletes. The university is committed to justice, equality, and respect for the whole person, also known as cura personalis. This commitment extends to students of all sexual orientations and gender identities, with the university aiming to foster an environment that is welcoming, safe, and supportive.

The university's non-discrimination and harassment policies include sexual orientation and gender identity, and these are included in the Staff and Administrator Policy Manual, the Faculty Handbook, and the Student Community Standards. Loyola University Maryland's institutional Core Values statement on diversity also includes sexual orientation and gender identity, reflecting the university's affirmation of the diversity of human experience and the dignity of all persons.

In addition to its policies, Loyola University Maryland offers several resources and support groups for transgender students. The Thrive Center for Student Success and the university's health insurance policy, provided through United Healthcare, cover services for transgender students. The university also has gender-neutral bathrooms in the Thrive Center for Student Success and the Fernandez Center, as well as in any single-use facilities.

Loyola University Chicago, another Jesuit institution, has implemented a "preferred name" policy that allows students to use their chosen name in many circumstances on campus. This policy enables students to add a preferred name on LOCUS, Loyola's online registration and records portal, which then appears in various university systems such as class and grade rosters, and email systems.

While the information specifically regarding transgender student-athletes at Loyola University is limited, the university's commitment to inclusion and support for the LGBTQ+ community is evident through its policies, resources, and student groups.

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Loyola's non-discrimination and harassment policies

Loyola University Maryland has a strong commitment to non-discrimination and the inclusion of transgender students. The university's non-discrimination and harassment policies explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. These policies are outlined in the Staff and Administrator Policy Manual, the Faculty Handbook, and the Student Community Standards. The university also affirms its commitment to diversity and the dignity of all persons in its institutional Core Values statement, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity.

In addition to its non-discrimination policies, Loyola offers a range of resources and services to support its transgender students. For example, the university's student health insurance policy covers services for transgender students. Bathrooms in the Thrive Center for Student Success and the Fernandez Center are open to all genders, with single-stall layouts, and any single-use facility has been designated with all-gender signage. The university also provides a range of student groups and mentorship programs specifically for LGBTQ+ students, such as Spectrum and the LGBTQ+ Experience for undergraduate students, as well as a weekly support group called "In, Out, & In Between" and Prism, a QPOC support group.

Loyola University Maryland also offers Safe Zone training to employees and student groups, with the first session covering awareness and the following two sessions covering LGBTQ+ inclusion and allyship. The university also sends a student delegation to IgnatianQ, a yearly conference for the LGBTQPIA+ community at Jesuit universities across the U.S., and hosted the conference in 2018.

Loyola University Chicago, another Jesuit institution, has also demonstrated its commitment to transgender students by launching a "preferred name" policy. This policy allows students to use their chosen name in many circumstances on campus, including in class rosters, email systems, and online classroom resources.

Both Loyola University Maryland and Loyola University Chicago strive to create inclusive and supportive environments for their transgender students, offering a range of resources, policies, and initiatives to promote acceptance and respect for all gender identities.

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Loyola's gender-neutral facilities

Loyola University Maryland has gender-neutral bathrooms in the Thrive Center for Student Success and the Fernandez Center, which are open to all genders and have an individual stall layout. The university has also designated any single-use facility with all-gender signage. Students can contact Facilities Management if they come across any single-use facilities with incorrect signage.

Loyola University Chicago has expanded its inventory of gender-neutral and personal wellness facilities over the past four years. Gender-neutral facilities are single-occupant restrooms equipped with complimentary menstrual products. Personal wellness rooms are available for individual medical needs or lactation purposes and are equipped with a refrigerator, a sharps container, and a sink where feasible.

The university's campus posting guidelines for gender-neutral facilities aim to establish effective use of posting space within university buildings and grounds. Postings are only allowed on designated walls and bulletin boards to minimise the risk of facility damage and quick and safe egress from buildings in an emergency.

Loyola University Chicago's Division of Student Development Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) also has unisex restrooms, often marked as 'family' restrooms or single-sex stalls. These restrooms can be found at the Damen Student Center, IC/Cudahy Library, and Cudahy Science Hall.

In addition to gender-neutral facilities, Loyola University Maryland offers a LGBTQPIA+ Peer Mentorship Program, a weekly support group called In, Out, & In Between, and Prism, a QPOC support group. The university also sends a student delegation to IgnatianQ, a yearly conference that brings together the LGBTQPIA+ community at Jesuit universities across the US.

Frequently asked questions

Loyola University Maryland works to support all students and is committed to justice, equality, and respect for the whole person – or cura personalis. The university's non-discrimination and harassment policies include gender identity, and they strive to make their international experiences and facilities live up to the inclusive practices of the rest of the Loyola campus. Loyola also has a LGBTQPIA+ Peer Mentorship Program, a weekly support group called In, Out, & In Between, and Prism, a QPOC support group.

Bathrooms in the Thrive Center for Student Success and the Fernandez Center are open to all genders, with an individual stall layout. Loyola has also designated any single-use facility with all-gender signage.

Loyola has developed a policy guided by the NCAA transgender inclusion policy for varsity athletes.

Loyola University Chicago has launched a new policy that will allow students to use their “preferred name” in many circumstances on campus. Students can add a preferred name on LOCUS, Loyola's online registration and records portal, and this name will then appear in class and grade rosters, the Outlook email system, and Sakai, Loyola’s online classroom resource.

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