Minutes 2-20-04
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February 20, 2004 Minutes

UC San Diego

Attendees:

UC Berkeley: Debi Fidler, Virginia Nelson, Jonathan Winters
UC Davis: Sheri Atkinson
UC Irvine: Emil Vincent Alonzo, Jonathan Bernal, Dustin Utt, Pat Walsh
UC Los Angeles: Kian Boloori, Jason Fasi, Roy Samaan, Ronni Sanlo
UC Merced: John White
UC Riverside: Lizz Green, Bryon Nuttall, Eric Peterson, Tatiana Svolopoulos, Nancy Jean Tubbs, Jocelyn Wong
UC San Diego: Sarah Archibald, Max Harrington
UC San Francisco: Shane Snowdon
UC Santa Barbara: Josue Avelar, Kylan deVries, Sabrina T. Kwist, Tanya Paperny, Erin Pullin
UC Santa Cruz: Deb Abbot, Tam Welch
UCOP: Emily Nalven
LANL: Kathy Elsberry
Not present: LBNL, LLNL

Meeting was called to order at 5:05pm.

Introductions.

Approval of Minutes

Approval of 10-25-03 SCOM minutes. Minute discussed. Jonathan Winters moved to approve as written. Sarah Archibald seconded.

UCOP Updates

  • DP Tuition Equity—Currently, only opposite-sex spouses may receive out-of-state tuition and fee waivers under UC policies. When AB 205, California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003 goes into effect January 1, 2005, UCOP will implement changes under Standing Order of the Regents 110.2.
  • Report on all DP Inequities After AB 205—Committee will make a list of other DP iniquities that will go into effect. UCOP hopes to have the answers to these questions at the next SCOM meeting.
  • Retirement Benefits Retroactivity—We are awaiting a final opinion from the Office of the General Council and will take appropriate action to conform to the general law. Shane Snowdon adds that retirees who experienced discrimination in regard to their retirement benefits may need to speak at the Regents meetings in Spring. The group agreed that UC needs to move forward with this point. Shane plans to put out talking points to UCLGBTIA SCOM if they contact her. The Regents meetings are in April and May, 2004.
  • UC Nondiscrimination Statement (gender expression/identity inclusion)-- Nancy Tubbs announced the good news that “gender identity” was added to the UC nondiscrimination statement as of January 1, 2004.
  • Trans Health Benefits—Some trans health benefits have been added for UC staff. Those staff benefits include counseling and hormone therapy, but do not yet include sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Kylan de Vries apprised UCOP that the American Medical Association regards SRS as a necessary trans health benefit, but has received no response. Insurance companies have presented exorbitant estimates of health insurance costs to UC and UC has been holding to reasonable estimates for the real costs to UC employees. Perhaps SCOM will speak again to Judy Boyette around this topic in May. UCLA, UCSF, and UCSB currently offer students counseling and hormone therapy. Decisions on hormone therapy and counseling are made on a campus-by-campus basis.

Action Item: Meet with Judy Boyette in May to follow-up on UCOP progress on these issues.

Gender Neutral Restrooms

UCLA and UCSD list single stall restrooms on web maps. UC Riverside has a few single stall restrooms, but police will be concerned with lockable single restrooms. Sarah Archibald reports UCSD has most gendered signs removed on single stall restrooms. There’s a link on the UCLGBTIA website about the restroom issue.

A UCLA student mentioned that gender identity is strictly enforced in gendered residence hall restrooms. The group agreed that UCLGBTIA should create talking points and/or a resolution emphasizing the importance of gender neutral restrooms. The talking points would be designed for approaching various departments on various campuses where gender neutral restrooms are needed.

Standards for retrofitting and updating buildings on campus and protocol for building gendered restrooms can be found in section 413.0 of CA Plumbing Code. Sarah Archibald brought up the possibility of including male, female, and gender neutral restrooms in these buildings. Regarding new buildings, campus standards is a separate area of concern; we want to make sure that gender neutral restrooms are included in the building process.

Family restrooms and disability access restrooms are also a concern to be addressed in a UCLGBTIA resolution. UCSD students brought up the concern that perhaps there should be powered doors for campus members with disabilities. Kian, Jason, Roy, and Emily agreed to help Nancy with the resolution at the Saturday 10:30 am conference workshop.

Matt Murray and Jocelyn Wong spoke after the last SCOM meeting with Joseph Mullinix, Senior Vice President of Business and Finance, about the costs of family restrooms and gender neutral restrooms on UC campuses.

Action Item: Create a Resolution to use as an educational tool on each campus and with UCOP.

Addendum Note: The Resolution was presented at the General Assembly, but a formal vote could not be validated under the UCLGBTIA constitution due to lack of notice and lack of time for caucusing. The Resolution will be taken up again at the Spring 2004 Steering Committee meeting.

Campus Climate Issues

Nancy Tubbs updated us about UC Davis police officer Chang, who had been reinstated (after having been dismissed) since the last SCOM meeting at UCI. Sheri Atkinson of UCD mentioned that UC Davis is doing outreach to LGBTI individuals by posting a list of places that folks could apply for jobs. Golden State Peace Officers Association (GSPOA) may be a good liaison for this type of issue.

Nancy Tubbs of UC Riverside brought up the need for reporting hate incidents/crimes online to UC campuses. Berkeley is also in the process of creating this type of website to report incidents anonymously and the task force includes the dean of students, student health, and students from the resource center and student activists.

Sheri used anonymous reports to ask police to patrol certain areas of campus more effectively. She also suggested that faculty use student journals to gather data about anti-gay activities going on around campus.

Discussion around campus climate followed. Shane brought up surveymonkey.com as a very helpful website in this area. UCR is repeating after three years a campus climate survey specifically geared to UCR and aimed at learning LGBTI and allies’ experiences. The formal survey will be funded by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee and contains forty questions.

Action Item: Nancy Tubbs will create a link on the UCLGBTIA website around these issues so that different campuses may access this information to improve campus climate surveys in this area. The UCLGBTIA website is www.uclgbtia.org.

NEW ITEMS

CUCSA Report

John White, Capital Planning Director at UC Merced, described the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). This group meets quarterly with UCOP administrators. There are delegates from each campus and lab, plus the Office of the President. This group has access to senior UCOP administrators and members of The Regents on a frequent basis. CUCSA creates an annual report focused on staff issues. There are many opportunities for coalition building with students and faculty. John White is one of two delegates from UC Merced.

This year in particular CUCSA has a number of workgroups to address staff housing, faculty/staff partnerships, people management, diversity, and mentoring. Please look at the website for CUCSA and contact campus CUCSA representatives to learn about CUCSA meetings. Chairs of CUCSA attend Regents Meetings, an important venue for raising UCLGBTIA issues. The website is: http://www.ucop.edu/cucsa/

The website is: www.ucop.edu/cucsa/

UC-wide Journal of Queer-related Art and Writing

Tanya Paperny of UC Santa Barbara announced the possible establishment of a creative/political UC-wide journal to further communication and self-expression between and among UC campuses. A proposal was submitted to SCOM and a signup sheet passed around. Contact information: tpaperny@umail.ucsb.edu

The intention is to circulate and distribute the magazine through resource centers at the various campuses. Shane suggested producing the journal online and linking it to all UC campus resource centers. Discussion continued around the difficulties of producing a magazine digitally and of sustaining archived publications.

Dustin, an editor of a campus production at UCI, expressed a concern around whether the magazine could receive funding from a particular campus when it also accepts submissions from students at other campuses. Likewise, Dustin suggested going though the department of alternative media on your campus. Jonathan Winters of UC Berkeley raised the concern that a release may be needed from authors to publish works in this type of publication.

Resource Center Space

UCLA opened a new center in Fall 2003, with extensively increased space. UC Riverside will have double its current center space when the new Commons opens in about three years. UC San Diego will have a new space in 2 years, and so will UC Irvine. UC Santa Barbara will move to a new space in two years that is smaller than its current space.

LGBTI Issues and the UC Laboratory Contracts

Kathy Elsberry of LANL raised concerns about health care benefits and survivor benefits for LGBTI laboratory employees now that UC is considering not bidding on lab contracts. The SCOM may consider writing letters to statewide office holders on behalf of affected employees.

Action Item: Determine who might receive letters and ask LANL members to draft a letter for SCOM consideration.

LGBT Theme Housing & Roommate Issues

New UC Riverside student group Students for the Equality of Queers (SEQs) are meeting with Housing to discuss the creation of a LGBT theme hall. SEQs is soliciting any information that will help them push this process forwards. UCLA students are also looking into this process but have had some difficulties so far regarding roommate conflicts.

UCI has created a successful theme hall by combining LGBT, Women’s Studies, and Art Studio continuing students. Dustin of UCI recommends building support by speaking with directors of Housing as well as Resident Directors of each individual building.

Sarah Archibald of UCSD reports that UCSD is trying to include a question on housing intake forms in order to match up students more effectively with other LGBTQ students or with allies.
UCLA housing forms include gender identity, but the campus has not determined who has the authority on campus to make theme halls.

UC Santa Cruz has an LGBT interest hall, but has difficulty retaining LGBT students because allies claim so many of the spots.

Dustin suggested that UCLGBTIA consider creating a workshop on LGBT theme halls to present at Southern and Northern Resident Advisors conferences (RAP), since so many housing employees gather in one place there.

Sabrina Kwist of UCSB brought up the issue of transgender room assignments. Nancy Tubbs suggested taking caucus space at the UCLGBTIA Conference and on the UCLGBTIA website to discuss this topic. Shane suggested getting housing directors together to discuss this topic at regional or statewide meetings,

Action Item: Add LGBT Theme Housing to the UCLGBTIA web site at www.uclgbtia.org
Action Item: Learn more about RAP meetings and other regional conferences to develop possible workshops on LGBT Housing issues.

Preparing for General Assembly

Because only 20 minutes are available at the General Assembly, each campus was asked to choose one highlight from the written campus reports for sharing at the assembly. The complete “State of the UC” report will be added to the website.

Matt Murray will be recognized with a plaque from UCLGBTIA for his work as an ally on concerns raised by the association.

A Restrooms Resolution will be presented at the assembly.

Addendum Note: The Resolution was presented at the General Assembly, but a formal vote could not be validated under the UCLGBTIA constitution due to lack of notice and lack of time for caucusing. The Resolution will be taken up again at the Spring 2004 Steering Committee meeting.

Upcoming UCLGBTIA SCOM Meetings

  • Spring 2004: UCSF – May 8, 2004
  • Fall 2004: UCSB
  • Winter 2005: UC Davis – West LGBTIA College Conference
  • Spring 2005: UCLA

Meeting adjourned at 7:05pm.

Minutes submitted by Erin Pullin, with the assistance of Eric Peterson.