SGLC to Make Transgender Student Resource Website

The Student Government of Loyola Chicago announced a plan to provide a central location to access resources for transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

The proposed legislation, written by Senator Sophie Buchman and supported by President Daniel Williams, would create a page on the Loyola website listing all the existing resources for transgender and gender-nonconforming students, including gender neutral bathrooms and student housing.

“A big problem that has been conveyed to me right now is that our trans and gender-nonconforming students aren’t aware of what resources they have here as students at Loyola,” Buchman, a third-year student, said. “The aim of this is just to create a spot where students can come and they can find the resources they need.”

Currently, resources for transgender and gender-nonconforming students exist, but Buchman believes information about them isn’t clearly disseminated to the student body.

The proposed webpage would list, among other things, references to gender identity counseling provided by the Wellness Center, maps of gender neutral bathrooms on campus and more information about gender-inclusive housing.

“We have a very disorganized amount of gender neutral bathrooms on campus,” Buchman said. “There are multiple maps, each one has contradicting information.”

Although the proposal doesn’t change the content of the resources themselves, Buchman said the webpage could be a step towards adding more resources, as the administration would see more students utilizing the resources that already exist.

“I think that one way you start being able to get there is to show that students are actually using these resources,” Buchman said. “Because they are going to say ‘Why improve something that students don’t use?’ This is giving us an opportunity to say ‘Hey, look, we have this central area. Students do use these.’”

Both Buchman and Williams said they don’t expect pushback from university administration on the proposal.

“We are very, very fortunate to have wonderful campus partners, and they always are asking what the student priorities are,” Williams said. “This is one of them.”

Buchman agreed, saying students approached her during her reelection campaign saying there was a lack of organization for transgender students on campus.

Final authority on implementing the proposal lies with university administration, and not with the SGLC.

Buchman said the biggest reason why resources for trans and gender non-conforming students are so hard to find is because the university is still adapting to increases in the size and diversity of its student population.

“Loyola has rapidly transitioned from a small regional institution to an institution with a global scale, and we’re still trying to figure out how to work with that properly,” Buchman said.

Williams said one of the ways the SGLC has adapted is by increasing the number of senators in SGLC. Up to 35 senators can be elected, but in previous years, that actual number is under 20, according to Williams. This year, that number is 33.

“Within the last five years, or even the last decade, even within student government, we’ve been rapidly changing, just with different perspectives and different voices,” Williams said. “The make up of this university has significantly changed, so we’re definitely having more voices within student government that are pushing different ideas.”

Buchman said the sooner this policy can be implemented, the better. SGLC hopes to have the page up by the end of the academic year.

Editor’s Note: Sophie Buchman has previously contributed to The Loyola Phoenix as an opinion writer. Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Loyola Phoenix.