A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E - Colby-Sawyer College

on Campus
or eight years ago, we had a big push for LGBTQ issues
on campus and then it moved off the table, but now we
are pushing to remind ourselves that an environment free
of hostility and intolerance is what we want to create and
inhabit.”
This spring, the college designated five single-use
bathrooms on campus—three in Colgate and two in
the Hogan Center—as “gender neutral.” Next year,
as Director of Residential Education Mary McLaughlin
reports, four single rooms on campus will have the same
gender-neutral designation, and a new section of room draw
options will accommodate students who may not identify with traditional
male or female genders. The four singles may be selected
“Making sure these issues
are on everyone’s radar
is good. Student response
to the initiatives so
far has been positive; it
has become a point of
conversation.”
–Professor Kathleen Farrell
by any student, regardless of gender identity, and will
offer either private bathrooms or access to genderneutral
bathrooms.
Both Professors Hanson and Farrell say that ultimately,
to create an environment of inclusion, people
must show their support. It’s as simple as purchasing
a “No Hate” bracelet from SafeZones, taking part in
Day of Silence and Drag Ball, or even calling someone
out when they use derogatory language.
“We need to be willing to call people on things
like saying, ‘That’s so gay,’ because words that are seemingly innocent
can be very hurtful,” Professor Hanson says.
“Making sure that these issues are on everyone’s radar is
good,” said Professor Farrell. “Student response to the initiatives
so far has been positive; it has become a point of conversation.”
Treasurer of SafeZones Devin Wilkie ’13 agrees the changes
are a step in the right direction for the college. “I don’t think the
changes will be consciously noticed, but it’s a very good start
toward equality that is not yet complete,” he says.
The work underway to move toward a more inclusive community
is wonderful, Professor Hanson notes, though he says there
is room for many more events to make people think in different
ways. “Right now only small groups of people attend diversity
events, and one of the things we find is that the more we are
exposed to different experiences, the more our perspectives grow.
We do a lot of stuff that is fantastic for a college our size, but there
could be more resources for LBGTQ students,” Professor Hanson
concludes. “We teach freedom as an ideal of American society, and
it’s easy to talk about in the abstract, but much harder to uphold
that freedom.” ■
Amber Cronin ’11, a Communication Studies major, wrote
for College Communications and was the editor of the Colby-
Sawyer Courier.
SUMMER 2011 37