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Wednesday, April 6, 2016   NEWS   3

Gender-neutal pronoun policy lacking Unlike some universities in Canada, Ryerson does not have a formal policy in place to accommodate gender-neutral language

A lack of policy surrounding gender-neutral pronouns has created issues for students in the classroom PHOTO: JAKE SCOTT

By Nicole Schmidt and Brenda Molina-Navidad

A lack of university policy sur-

ounding gender-neutral pronoun usage in the classroom has been

ausing problems for transgender

tudents.

Trans Collective coordinator

Markus Harwood-Jones, who uses

he and they pronouns, said they

hoose not to use gender-neutral

pronouns in class because of how

often professors are unwilling to be

ccommodating. Issues that stem

rom within the classroom, they

dded, are the most common com-

plaints students bring forward.

While writing an essay earlier

his year, Harwood-Jones used

ender-neutral pronouns. When he assignment was returned, they

aid the professor flagged the pro-

noun-use as a grammatical issue.

“This professor was very ada-

mant. Even after we spoke and

greed to disagree, she still ex-

pressed that she doesn’t feel like

t’s academically appropriate,”

aid Harwood-Jones, adding that

hey’ve seen other instances where

tudents have felt so marginalized

n class that they’ve stopped going.

There has been a long standing

debate within academic commu-

nities when it comes to pronoun-

usage. Gender-specific pronouns,

uch as “she” and “he,” are typical-

ly encouraged in academic writing

over “they,” “them” and “their.” Despite disagreements over gram-

mar, the use of gender-neutral pro-

nouns has become more common

and, according to the Oxford Dic-

tionaries, is now widely accepted in

speech and writing.

Grammatical discrepancies are

common among students, accord-

ing to Jane Freeman, director of

English Language and Writing

Support at the University of To-

ronto (U of T). This can make the

differentiation unclear when some-

body has made an error, she added.

“Using a plural pronoun to mean a

singular is grammatically incorrect.

However, it’s become a statement

of personal identity to use a gender

neutral pronoun for some writers in context,” she said. “When it’s

used strategically in that context,

it’s not an error; it’s a choice.”

U of T does not currently have a

formal policy in place prohibiting

or accepting the use of gender-neu-

tral pronouns in the classroom.

Nora Farrell, Ryerson’s Ombud-

person who assists students with

complaints surrounding fairness,

emphasized that language is con-

stantly evolving to reflect the way

society is moving. “It’s really more

of an inclusion issue,” she said.

Some universities in Canada

have adopted policies to address

language issues. Mount Allison

University in New Brunswick has a

policy on the use of gender-neutral pronouns, which states that “Gen-

der neutral language shall be used

in all official University documents

… as well as in other University

communications.” These guide-

lines were created “to be of assis-

tance to members of the university

community in every academic situ-

ation in choosing words which are

accurate, clear and free from bias.”

York also has a gender-free lan-

guage policy, in addition to a guide

on gender identity and expression.

Similarly, Queen’s created inclusive

language guidelines, which favour

gender-neutral phrases over those

that make “sex distinctions.”

While Ryerson does have a

discrimination and harassment

prevention policy, which includes

gender identity and gender expres-

sion, gender-neutral language and pronoun usage is not included.

Andrew Hunter, Ryerson’s Interim

Associate Dean of the Faculty of

Arts, said there are no gender-neu-

tral language regulations within

the English department. He added

that he is not aware of regulations

within other departments.

But Dale Smith, associate pro-

fessor in Ryerson’s English depart-

ment, said creating a policy for

gender-neutral pronouns may be

problematic because it could shift

the focus away from the issue.

“Imposing policy guidelines

around language is kind of a dan- gerous approach to it and it doesn’t

build anything but respect for poli-

cy rather than respect for the larger

reality that we inhabit,” he said.

For many students, the advoca-

cy for gender-pronoun usage falls

on them. Fifth-year social work

student Gabi Tabi said pronoun

use isn’t something that’s openly

discussed, and that it should be.

“Some people think, ‘It’s just a

gender pronoun, it’s no big deal.’

But it is a big deal for me. It’s a

part of my identity. For people

who don’t respect those pronouns,

it really invalidates you and your

identity.”

Ryerson student charged with trespassing at 10 Dundas Street By Kosalan Kathiramalana- han and Al Downham

A Ryerson student alleges he was

ssaulted on April 1 by 10 Dundas

East security before being charged

with trespassing.

Kat Northern Lights Man — a

first-year urban and regional plan-

ning student — said he attempted

o bring his bike into class in a

Cineplex movie theatre around 1:40 a.m. after forgetting his

bike lock.

A 10 Dundas East security

uard approached him for trying

o bring his bike up the escalators

o class. According to Lisa Peatt,

he building’s general manager,

bikes cannot be brought into the

building or taken up its escalators.

Northern Lights Man said he at-

tempted to pass the guard, insisting

he would not