Do you have questions about trans issues at Kenyon? Are you in need of support as a trans or gender non-conforming student? Do you just need someone to talk to?
Below are the resources available to you around Kenyon's campus, which include support groups advisory committees; healthcare, Title IX, bathroom and housing guidance; steps to change your name; and funding opportunities.
The following faculty, staff and student representatives/organizations are here to support our trans and gender non-conforming students.
Timothy R. Bussey (they/them)
ODEI associate director
bussey1@kenyon.edu
740-427-5745
Unity House
Located behind Farr Hall across from Snowden Multicultural Center. Student managers: James Lituchy (they/them/theirs & he/him/his) and Grace Harris (she/her/hers & they/them/theirs). Get in touch at GLBTQ@kenyon.edu.
Trans Group Kenyon
Emails from Trans Group will appear in your inbox labeled as "Kenyon Group" for the privacy and safety of group members. Meeting times and locations for Trans Group are private. Please email the group for more information at transkenyon
Diversity Advisors
Kenyon's Diversity Advisors aim to informally assist with cases of group-based discriminatory harassment. Please visit Kenyon's Diversity Resources page for more information.
Kenyon College has formed a subcommittee of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee that focuses solely on the needs of trans and gender non-conforming students. The group is led by trans and gender non-conforming students with the following faculty and staff members.
Timothy R. Bussey (they/them)
ODEI associate director
bussey1@kenyon.edu
Austin H. Johnson (he/him/his)
assistant professor of sociology
johnson2@kenyon.edu
Information about the 2020-2021 student members of the subcommittee will be available in fall 2020.
At Kenyon, students can easily enter and regularly update their current name and pronouns on Banner. The information in this system then migrates to a number of places on campus, such as the campus mailroom, class rosters, etc. Currently, students may complete the steps below to update their current name, gender identity, and pronouns, and ITS is collaborating with the ODEI to ensure that correct names and pronouns will populate on class rosters as soon as possible.
You can update this information effective immediately by doing the following:
All new email addresses (from August 2016) for incoming students will have your last name and a number (ex: surname1@kenyon.edu), and your name pulled from the Admissions database will also be displayed.
Step 1: Go to your "Settings" by clicking on the cog symbol under your email profile (the small circle where your profile photo would go).
Step 2: Click on the "Accounts" tab, then click "edit info" and type in your name.
Step 3: Change your name in Google by going to your Google Account main page and clicking "Personal Info & Privacy." Click the "Name" section and edit your name.
Step 4: Log out and reload the page, then log in again to check if your name is changed. If not, contact Helpline for further assistance.
The "First Name Label" associated with your email address will be then be changed (to your new name); not your actual email address.
Step 5: If your email address is the older "last name+first initial" format, you can change it to the new "last name+number" format by scheduling an appointment with Jared Hoffman (the associate director for enterprise infrastructure, hoffmanj@kenyon.edu) who will assist with any possible disruption of services.
Names can only be changed on college documents if you have legally changed your name in your residential state (for U.S. citizens). Information about legal names changes and identification documentations is available through the Trans Equality ID Document Center.
Periodically throughout the year, the ODEI will be partnering with Equitas Health and TransOhio to offer a free gender and/or name change clinic on campus. At this free clinic, attorneys will help answer your questions, review any necessary documentation, and complete relevant name/gender change forms with you. Courtesy of TransOhio, scholarships are also available at this clinic, which can fully cover the cost of filing the paperwork with the state of Ohio.
Once a legal name and/or gender marker change has been approved, relevant documentation can be brought to the Office of the Registrar to update your college documents.
For more information on upcoming gender and/or name change clinics at Kenyon, please contact ODEI Associate Director Timothy Bussey at bussey1@kenyon.edu or simply check the events page.
You can change your name and photograph on your K-Card free of charge by contacting Meredith Harper Bonham and visiting Allen House.
You can change your name on Moodle, the College's learning management system, by doing the following:
Students can easily and quickly change the name on their P.O. box at the Gambier Post Office. To do so, you simply need to bring your K-Card to any representative at this post office location. After presenting your K-Card with the correct name, give them your P.O. box number and ask them to update the name for their records. This process should be able to be completed within one to two business days.
If you encounter any problems with this, please contact the ODEI for assistance in having this information updated.
The Kenyon College Health Center and the Kenyon College Counseling Center are both available on campus to assist trans and gender non-conforming students with their healthcare needs. We encourage students to come speak with our clinically trained staff who will provide detailed health information, assistance with medication administration, and laboratory testing. After meeting with our staff, a list of Ohio healthcare resources can be provided.
Health Services
740-427-5525
Open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. (Closed 12-1 p.m. for lunch)
Counseling Services
740-427-5643
Open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. (Closed 12-1 p.m. for lunch)
Kenyon’s student health insurance plan covers hormone replacement therapy in the form of estradiol valerate, progesterone, spironolactone and testosterone. Under our student health insurance plan, generic versions of these hormones are Tier I drugs, meaning that they are available for a cost as low as $10/month per prescription.
While hormone replacement therapy is not yet prescribed at our campus health clinic, the Cox Health and Counseling Center can perform related endocrine tests. Your primary care medical provider and/or endocrinologist can easily order these tests for you by sending the order form to Cox Health and Counseling Center via their fax number at 740-427-5527. Once the tests are complete, the staff at the on-campus clinic can fax them to your primary care medical provider and/or endocrinologist.
In short, Kenyon is equipped to ensure that your transition-related healthcare options can be supported during your time on campus. If you need help finding a medical provider, you can either contact Equitas Health in Columbus or stop by the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to discuss how to access resources available in the area. If you have more questions about access to transgender healthcare at Kenyon, contact ODEI Associate Director Timothy Bussey at bussey1@kenyon.edu.
The non-discrimination statement at Kenyon is fully LGBTQ+ inclusive, and the College's Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination on sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation, in addition to other categories. For more information on the non-discrimination statement, please contact the Office for Civil Rights.
To learn more about Kenyon’s affirming policy for transgender students’ rights under Title IX, read Kenyon’s response to the rescinding of the Dear Colleague letter from 2017.
The Office for Civil Rights at Kenyon is also available for students to report incidences of Title IX violations. Feel free to contact Samantha Hughes (Civil Rights/Title IX Coordinator) or any other Office for Civil Rights staff members for further information.
In spring 2018, the Trans Subcommittee of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee compiled a list of potential locations for new gender neutral bathrooms on campus. As of fall 2018, all of these locations have been made into gender neutral facilities.
As such, Kenyon is proud to offer over 50 gender neutral bathrooms across our campus. Per Kenyon’s commitment to Title IX and transgender inclusion, students are also welcome to use any gendered bathroom facility that aligns with their gender identity.
Currently, the Trans Subcommittee is working on an interactive map of the gender neutral facilities across campus, and this will be available here, when social distancing requirements allow us to safely compile the necessary data to complete the interactive map.
Kenyon operates on an open-housing model, which largely allows students to find housing options that meet both their needs and their preferences. However, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has recently collaborated with the Office of Residential Life to clarify a formalized process that will further ensure the needs of our transgender and non-binary students are consistently and equitably met in terms of inclusive, comfortable and accessible housing.
Information about gender inclusive housing is currently available through the Office of Residential Life, and information about this newly formalized process is also available.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion also retains a number of funds to support the success and well-being of our students. One of these funds, the Student Support Fund, can help students with financial need access transition-related apparel, including but not limited to professional attire, binders and undergarments among other items, and services, including identification paperwork costs, assistance with short-term medical costs, etc.
For students with financial need, please refer to the Student Support Funds webpage or contact the ODEI for more information about how this fund may be able to meet your needs.