St. Kate's Issues New Trans and Non-Binary Admission Policy
On December 18, 2018, a St. Catherine University admission policy was issued that received little publicity but carries major significance regarding the future of the university. The policy pertains to the institution’s practice surrounding transgender and non-binary students. It is, according to Associate Vice President of Admissions Cory Piper-Hauswirth, “something we've [as a university] been needing for a number of years that we've now put into an official policy.” Much of the policy pertains to the admissions process so that prospective students are aware of St. Kate’s criterion for acceptance. Piper-Hauswirth emphasized how important it is for St. Kate’s admission counselors to be able to answer questions about gender when they receive them on the road.
“Being a single-gender college, the College for Women is permitted under Title IX to set our own admission policies. Our practice has been to accept students based on self-reported sex,” said Piper-Hauswirth. “The official policy it makes it clear that we accept students based on gender identity."
Work on this policy began about five years ago when students and administrators recognized a need for language around the acceptance of trans and non-binary students to St. Kate’s. The policy started moving forward with the hiring of Pat Pratt Cook, Senior Vice President for Human Resources, Equity, and Inclusion. The LGBTQIA+ Equity and Inclusion working group, comprised of students, faculty, and staff was formed, and began looking at the language used by other “single gender institutions” around acceptance of non-binary and trans students. The policy they drafted includes careful language around St. Kate’s identity as a women’s college.
“We wanted to draft a policy that would stay current but give us room to make adjustments,” said Piper-Hauswirth.
The policy begins with stating its purpose: “To provide documentation and clarity with the current practices for transgender and non-binary students who would like to apply for admission to St. Catherine University.”
It then outlines the scope (included below). The policy details that the College for Adults and Graduate College will continue to admit students of any gender identity, while the College for Women admits all students who identify as women. This is expanded in the last line of the policy, which states: “In taking an inclusive approach to fulfilling this mission – one that reflects the University’s identity and vision to be an institution that values diversity, equity and inclusion as being essential to excellence – St. Catherine University acknowledges that there is an evolving understanding of gender that increasingly goes beyond the traditional binary.”
Following the introduction is the actual statement (included below). The statement opens with an enduring commitment to the Sisters of St. Joseph and Catholic Social Teaching. The statement also affirms St. Kate’s commitment to fostering diversity, as evident in the line: “We recognize St. Catherine University’s rich and vibrant history of educating people of all marginalized genders, as well as our duty as an institution to acknowledge and celebrate their contributions to our university.” The statement re-emphasizes the all gender admission to the College for Adults and Graduate College. Finally, it states that St. Kate’s will continue to use gendered language to refer to the College for Women while educating on inclusivity in university spaces. The statement concludes with the clarification that should a student undergo gender transition while enrolled in the College for Women, they will be permitted to stay in the College for Women.
University-wide presentation of this policy is still in the works, as is its structure and accessibility via the St. Kate’s website. However, it is a hopeful step toward inclusivity, acceptance, and the continued legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Kate’s. Piper-Hauswirth was happy to share with me that this year, St. Kate’s will have a booth at Twin Cities Pride for the first time.
[This article is an introductory segment of an in-depth feature on the transgender and non-binary admission policy to be published by The Wheel in May. If you have comments or opinions to contribute to the feature piece, please email ascross@stkate.edu]
