BY BTL STAFF
SAGINAW – Saginaw Valley State University has added gender identity protections and genetic information protections to the university's nondiscrimination policy.
Transgender individuals and individuals with a family history of genetic health conditions are now listed as protected classes under SVSU's nondiscrimination policy that applies to faculty, staff and students.
"A lot of people put in a lot of work over a long period of time trying to convince the administration and the board of trustees that including gender identity and sexual orientation in SVSU's nondiscrimination policy is the right thing to do. Ultimately, students are the winners when their professors aren't saddled with the fear of losing their job if they accidentally reveal their gender identity and sexual orientation during a lecture. It's like finally being able to exhale, knowing that you'll never have to hold your breath for an entire day ever again," said adjunct professor, Char Davenport, who teaches English at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University.
J.J. Boehm, Director of Media and Community Relations, told MLive that university officials regularly review policies in the interest of keeping them updated and said that no single event prompted the changes.
A copy of the anti-harassment/discrimination policy can be found at https://www.svsu.edu/operationsmanual/employeerelations/252discrimination,sexualharassment&racialh/.
