MCC Daily Tribune

TCC: Affirming and Supporting LGBTQIA+ Students, Faculty, and Staff

The Teaching and Creativity Center denounces the recent anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in many other states; the coordinated attacks on public education, DEI initiatives, and academic freedom; and incidents of hate and threat throughout the country. The TCC affirms that Monroe Community College must support and protect our LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff. Even small changes have big impact, so for those unsure of what to do, we invite MCC faculty and staff to start by including their own pronouns on course information sheets, email signatures, and Zoom/Teams name displays; using inclusive, non-gender-specific language whenever the context makes sense for it; and participating in Safe Zone training and other workshops whenever they are offered. We also invite faculty and staff to visit the TCC Brightspace for resources related to equity and belonging. These gestures may seem simple in isolation, but when done College-wide, they move us toward becoming the inclusive and affirming place a community college should be.

On behalf of the TCC Committee,

Amanda Colosimo (interim co-coordinator; CHEM/GEO)
Terry Shamblin (interim co-coordinator; ESOL/TRS)
Amy Burtner (TCC faculty leader; ENG/PHL)
Erin Strobl (TCC faculty leader; BIO)

Amy Burtner
Teaching and Creativity Center
04/26/2023