an open letter to the smith college school for social work ... · we are students who have seen our...
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An Open Letter to the Smith College School for Social Work Community
To the Smith College School for Social Work Community:
We are students who have been directly impacted by the lack of support for trans and
gender-nonconforming students at Smith. We are students who have seen our peers suffer and
believe that our school can do better. We are writing to ask that the Smith College School for
Social Work undertake the work to make this school a truly accepting and supportive
environment for trans and gender-nonconforming students.
We are asking for the SSW community to join in solidarity with trans and gender nonconforming
students for:
• Increased support during field placement
• Inclusive, respectful and supportive classroom environments
• Inclusion of trans and gender nonconforming material in the curriculum
• Access to trans inclusive healthcare coverage and campus facilities
Trans and gender-nonconforming students have been meeting privately with the deans and some
faculty during the first half of the summer. We would like to thank them for their willingness to
listen and for the work they are already doing around issues of inaccessible gender segregated
facilities, finding trans inclusive and affirming health care coverage, and allowing students to
graduate with their preferred names. We believe that it is now time to open this conversation up
to the whole Smith School for Social Work Community.
Smith College has a history of excluding trans and gender-nonconforming students. Trans and
gender-nonconforming students are disproportionately affected by the review process during
field internships, lack support from field supervisors and FFA's when facing transphobia and
discrimination due to our gender identities or expression, and lack support from our classroom
instructors. We are constantly misgendered, denied access to facilities, and told in big and small
ways that we and our identities do not matter. This institutional violence needs to stop, and we
are calling upon you to end it now.
Lack of support in field internships. Many agencies and supervisors are not adequately trained
or prepared to support gender non-conforming and trans students. Students need a safe
environment and support from Smith to navigate these issues. Students are blamed for wishing to
be respected for who they are and how they present in the world and are being asked to leave or
are choosing to leave due to a lack of support from the schooL Students are afraid to speak up
about discrimination because of the threat of the review process.
Solutions: Smith needs to educate agencies, supervisors, and FFA's about gender identity
and how to support trans and gender-nonconforming students. The school needs to keep
track of which agencies are safe for trans and gender-nonconforming students, and which
agencies have not been safe or supportive. We would like the needs of trans and
gender-nonconforming students to be taken into consideration when assigning field
placements. Before we go out into field this September, we ask that the school hire a
trans/gender-nonconfom1ing cl inician who can provide supervision and support for
students on issues related to gender identity during their field placements.
Unsafe and unsupportive classrooms. Many of the faculty at Smith do not know how to
educate their students about gender and gender identity, and are not able to support trans and
gender-nonconforming students in the classroom. Students have been forced to come out as trans
or gender non-conforming when they are not ready. Students have been left with the
responsibility for educating their peers about their identities and the oppression that they
experience when the instructor is unable to do so. Students have been misgendered by their
instructors and by other students without recognition of the harm that this causes. This creates an
environment where students feel isolated, unsafe , and erased.
Solutions: Instructors need be educated and supported in facilitating conversations about
gender identity, transphobia, cissexism, and other complex and charged topics. The
curriculum needs to cover the oppression faced by trans and gender-nonconfom1ing
people. Student's identities and pronouns must be respected by professors, and these
professors need to help cisgender students understand and respect the idemities of trans
and gender-nonconforming students. We would like oppression, intersectionality, and
gender identity to be included in the Orientation curriculum for new students.
Lack of transgender and gender non-conforming inclusion in the required curriculum. The
Smith School for Social Work required curriculum is woefully lacking in areas of trans and
gender-nonconforming cultures. histories and clinical considerations. All graduating future social
workers should be competent in working with trans and gender-nonconforming people in the
clinical setting and understand basic language and concepts.
Solutions: Curriculum should be revised to include transgender and gender
non-conforming histories. cultures a_nd clinical considerations, paying special attention to
intersections of race, class and gender identity. Practice classes should include case
material which includes transgender and gender nonconforming clients and clinicians.
Practice classes should tnclude basic transgender and gender nonconforming language
and concepts, with classroom discussion dedicated to unpacking these terms, their
meanings and impact. Students should be encouraged to explore gender as a construct,
\
their own gender narratives, and examine how personal gender identity interfaces with
their clinical work.
Lack of access to health insurance and facilities. Trans students have historically been denied
insurance coverage for medically necessary care, including primary care visits, mental health
services, and routine blood work. There are currently trans students who are facing thousands of
dollars of medical debt and ruined credit scores because they were forced to pay for healthcare
out of pocket. The gym locker rooms and bathrooms have also excluded trans and gender
nonconforming students due to the lack of private, gender-neutral facilities. Trans and
gender-nonconforming students deserve access to healthcare and to all the facilities that the
school offers.
Solutions: The administration is currently working to ensure that trans and
gender-nonconforming students can access health care, bathrooms, and locker rooms. We
want to thank them for the work they have done, and ask that they continue in their
commitment. In particular, we would like to explore some form of debt relief for current
and former students who had to pay for their medical care out of pocket. We are including
issues of health insurance and facilities access in this letter to make sure the rest of the
faculty is aware of these considerations.
This school is currently in a time of change. The trans and gender-nonconforming students group
supports the organizing efforts of the ARCC and students of color in changing the curriculum
and field internship structure to hold Smith School for Social Work accountable to the
anti-r acism commitment and better support students of color. We do not want our own organizing
to diminish the attention on the demands and concerns raised by the ARCC and other student
leadership about racism in the Smith program. To the ARCC and students of color: We are
extending to you an offer of solidarity and coalition building.
As Smith reforms its curriculum and field internships, we ask that the faculty and administration
maintain an intersectional understanding of oppression, and make sure that the needs of all
marginalized students are addressed. We hold that different forms of oppression are both distinct
and interconnected. Some of the changes demanded by the ARCC overlap with the demands of
trans and gender-nonconforming students; others are distinct to each respective axis of identity.
We believe that the administration and faculty can and must hold both the overlaps and the
distinctions between our needs. We also want to recognize that each person holds multiple
identities at once and the intersections of those identities need to be attended to.
Finally, while this letter is specific to the marginalization of students based on their status as
trans and gender-nonconforming, we call upon the faculty and administration to create space to
listen to the voices of students with other marginalized identities. We want to hear how the
school can better support students with disabilities, students of color, students impacted by
class ism, students with children, older students, queer and LGB students, and more. We join in
solidarity with other marginalized communities on campus and with those among us who hold
multiple marginalized identities.
Sincerely,
The Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Student Group
July 19, 2016
\.
Signatures in Support of the Open Letter to the Smith Community
July 19, 2016
We are students who have been directly impacted by the Jack of support for trans and gender-nonconforming students at Smith. We are students who have seen our peers suffer and believe that our school can do better. As transgender and gender nonconfonning students we wrote an open letter to ask that Smith College School for Social Work undertake the work to make this school a truly accepting and supportive environment for trans and gender-nonconforming students.
Please sign your name below to join in solidarity with trans and gender nonconforming students in support of the letter and for the following:
• Increased support during field placement • Inclusive, respectful and supportive classroom environments • Inclusion of trans and gender nonconforming material in the curriculum • Access to trans inclusive healthcare coverage and campus facilities
Student Organizations
1. Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Students Group 1. Queer and Trans People of Color Group 3. Gender and Sexuality Alliance 4. Male Identified Group 5. Council for Students of Color 6. Students with Children 7. Jewish Student Group
Name, Year, and Email Address of Individual Students and Alumni
I. Dexter Rose A' 16 [email protected]
1. Jixia Ao A' IS [email protected]
3. Rachel Redd A'l6 [email protected]
4. Amelia Smith A'l7 [email protected]
5. Allie (Allison) Barbey A'l6 [email protected]
6. Abby (Abigail ) Vayda A'l6 [email protected]
7. Tanya Croke A' IS [email protected]
8. Elise Trujillo A'1 7 [email protected]
9. Lily (Elizabeth) Seaman A'1 6 [email protected]
10. Kamila Baker A'l 8 kbaker@smi th.edu
l l. Alex Sobieraj A' 18 [email protected]
12. Alice Malone A'l 8 [email protected]
13. Laura Wesely A' 17 Lweselv@:smith.ed11
14. Ellie Lipton A'l 8 [email protected]
15. Dri Huber A'1 6 [email protected]
16. Jackie Cosse A'1 6 [email protected]
17. Alison Davies A'17 [email protected]
18. Kira Mintz A'18 [email protected]
19. Joseph Berlin A' J7 [email protected]
20. Maia Nikitovich A' 15 maianikitov ich@gmai I. com
21. Emily Robinson A' IS ~!i:rQl'linsQn!!j:~!llllh ~~I
22. AJ Metthe A' J6 ametthe(t_r ·sm nh ,edu
23. Robyn Douglass A' 16 [email protected]
24. Carty Bobinsky A' l8 cbobmsk\ w smith edu
25. Sarah Blair Jenkins A'l7 sbjenkins@sm~th .edu
26. Manuel Ortiz A'J6 mortiz@sm i th .ed u
27. Rebecca Arcidiacono A'l 8 [email protected]
28. Joel Coburn A' J4 joel.coburn@gmail .com
29. Sasha Pansovoy A' J7 [email protected]
30. Kiera Wilson A' l8 kcwi [email protected]
31. Nathal ie Rodriguez A'J6 [email protected]
32. Brianna Suslovic A' IS [email protected]
33. Leslie Davis A' 18 lrdavis@smith edu
34. Emily Peck A' 17 [email protected]
35. Emily Bloch A' IS [email protected]
36. Bnttany Billmeyer-Finn A' 18 bbi [email protected]
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37. Ben Borkan A'l7 bborkan@smi th. edu
38. Amee Catalano A'l7 [email protected]
39. Michiko Mitsunaga-Whitten A' 17 mmitsuna!!awhitten({l.smith.edu
40. Kijai Corbett A' 17 [email protected]
41. Kai Lynch A'l7 [email protected]
42. Caroline De Vane A'l8 [email protected]
43. Nicole Canonigo A' IS ncanonieo(@smith.edu
44. Emma Ross A' 16 [email protected]
45. Maki Camacho A'l6 [email protected]
46. Renee Gavitt A' 18 [email protected]
47. Venae Rodriguez A'l6 [email protected]
48. Nora Winsryg-Karasik A'l8 [email protected]
49. Samuel Shapiro A'l7 sshapiro [email protected]
50. Angelina Li A' IS [email protected]
51. Jocelyn Schur A'?? [email protected]
-, )_. Liza Detenber A'l6 [email protected]
53. Toni Georgiana. A' l6 tgeorgiana @smid1.edu
54. Lauren Newman A-17 [email protected]
55. Aphrodite Easton A'l6 aeaston@sm ith.ed u
56. Alexandra Paull A'l6 [email protected]
57. Rickey Thorn A' IS [email protected]
58. Scott Barvainis A' IS [email protected]
59. Natasha Jeswani A' J7 [email protected]
60. Anna Frontiero A'J8 [email protected]
61. Bianca Blakesley A' l6 [email protected]
62. Elizabeth Liepold A' l6 [email protected]
63. Nicole Dietze A' J7 [email protected]
64. Courtney Stich A'l7 [email protected]
65. Lauren Taylor A' IS [email protected]
66. Julia Blencowe A' IS [email protected]
67. Anna Deering A'l8 [email protected]
68. Suzanne Pearson A' IS [email protected]
69. Maggie Furey A' l8 [email protected]
70. Katherine Nee A' IS [email protected]
71. Lea Broh A'l6 [email protected]
72. Annelies Spykman A' 17 [email protected]
73. Sizana Ezana A' IS [email protected]
74. Jake Hewes A'l8 [email protected]
75. Angela Clark A' l4 [email protected]
76. Caroline Evans A' l6 [email protected]
77 _ Lynda Moy A' l7 [email protected]
78. Zoe Rudow A' l6 [email protected]
79. Lark En dean Nierenberg A' l6 [email protected]
80. Zoe Levenson A' 17 [email protected]
81. Kristin Phelan A' l8 [email protected]
82. Areeza Alt A' 17 [email protected]
83. Lindsay Kazi A' IS [email protected]
84. Eli Latto A'l6 [email protected]
85. Leah Gold A'l7 [email protected]
86. Robyn Shigemitsu A' IS [email protected]
87. Eliza Sher, LICSW A'06 easts idepsychri@gma i I
88. Tatiana Martinez A'l7 tmartinez@sm ith. edu
89. Carmel T. Drewes, LCSW A'09 carmel.msw@gmail .com
90. Maurice White A' IS Q\\ hll~• l! Sflll!h,!;~lu
9 1. Dorothy Manley A'l7 dmflnl~:x:0':mllth edll
92. Abigail Cyr A' l8 \JC\ r1tl -.mi!h .edu
93 . Amanda Potter A' l6 apotter@sm i lh .edu
94. Elizabeth du Toit A' IS emduto I I~ 5f0•'111il i I. r.;nm
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95. Madeline Freeman A' IS [email protected]
96. Jameson Wolf A' IS jwolf@'smith.edu
97. Liam Malone A' 17 Lmalonel'l1smith.edu
98. Chloe Canter A' IS [email protected]
99. Sarah Aftab A '17 sjaftab0>smith.edu
100. Abby Sushchyk A' 16 [email protected]
101. Halee Brown. A' 16. [email protected]
102. Seana Peterson A' 18 speterson61 @smith.edu
103. Yvonnne Cordoba A'18 [email protected]
104. Elizabeth Gonzalez A'16 [email protected]
105. Willa Mayo A'16 [email protected]
106. Noah Cochran A '18 [email protected]
107. Elizabeth Perez A'l7 [email protected]
108. Vivian Hui A'J6 [email protected]
109. Michelle Daggett A'l6 mda!.a:!!Ul£i' smitll .~du
110. Jessica Hack-Chabot A'l8 [email protected]
111. Erica Merten A'l6 [email protected]
112. Gina Mitchell A' IS [email protected]
113. Lisa Guthery A'l6 [email protected]
114. Ciara DeVozza A'l7 [email protected]
115. Erica Donahue A'l6 [email protected]
116. Hannah Smith A'17 [email protected]
117. Amanda Sposato. A '16 asposato@smith edu
118. Lindsay Cooper A' IS lcooper@smith,edu
119. Margot Reilly A'l6 merelllyr@smith ,edu
120. Gretchen Davidson Al4 ~r!i:tCh!i:niiln~ditv idsQnf{/' ~m;Jil .~Qm
121. Christopher Watkins AIS cwjltk ins((] sm ith,edu
122. Melissa Rocheleau AIS mrQ!;;h~l!i:ml((_l}sm 1th .~dl!
123. Jennifer Graves A'l6 ll;fil\ eso'c/;sml! h.edu
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124. Caitlyn Keckeissen Al3 caitlvnk.licswl'iJ·gmail.com
125. lnbal Rait AIS irait@sm ith.edu
126. Brooke Denmark Al7 [email protected]
l27. Dianne Gallo A' 16 dua\[email protected]
128. Megan Shaughnessy-Magill A' IS m sha u!!hnessymo!! i I IWJ!!ma i !.com
129. Lisa Kennedy A' 16 lkenned~·llJ"sm ith .edu
130. Jaymie Oppenheim A'l7 jonnenheimrlpsmith.e~lu
131. Judy Kamara A' IS jwkamaraUJ"hotmail.com
132. Katrina Puente Al8 kpuente@smith edu
133. Sean Whiteman A'l6 [email protected]
134. Heather Crawford A' 16 hcrawforrq'smith.edu
135. Alyza Weinberg A' JS ll \" !,!inb~r~r!i:~mitb ~du
136. Meghan Wilson A' l6 m~wil:,mnrii'::;imith ~d11
137. Amber Zinni A'l8 azmn;w smith ,edu
138. Rachel Rodriguez A' \7 ITQQ •• ~~·~zw·~ m•th s:d 11
139. Dana DePietro A'l8 ddeoietror0·smith .edu
140. Rachael Schultz A' IS Rschultzr'Wsmith.edu .
14 1. Natal ia Glebova A'l8 nglebova@'~mlth.edu
142. Anne Zager A' IS azauer@;sm ith.edu
143. Alfredo Laris A'\6 tlans!lt'smi th edu
144. Molly Moses A' IS memosesrcl sm1th.edu
145. Michael Wa,don A'l7 m wa ldon@sm ith .edu
146. Kat Roubos A'J6 krouhos((] s1mth.edu
147. Sophia Glass A'J6 S!,!lassf'0s1ui th ,ed!'
148. Shilpa Esther Trivedi A' l7 -.tri\ edi01smulu:du
149. Molly O'Connor A' 17 mocQnnorfi?sm •th.edu \
ISO. Matthew tvleurer-Lynn. A' 15 mmemerlvnn((! u rnad com
151. Stephanie Clowdus A'\6 s!;; IQWQlls·it ~nH ! h !:du
152. Fusako Yamagiwa A' IS t) am;1l.: iwiJ I'if'smlth. s;du
153. Joseph Burke A'l6 jdburke@smith edu
154. Mark Davis A' 16 mggavi~((_i'smith,edu
155. Jillian Moreno A '16 jmoreno@smith.~gu c
156. Isabelle Scott A' 17 [email protected]
157. Lucy Graves A' 18 [email protected]
158. Kyla Ferguson A'l6 kfergusQil({_i':imith,gdu
159. Alicia Mamula A'16 am amy la@sm1th. edu
160. HollyAnne Joyner Giffin A' 16 h!!iffinaJ'smith.edu
161. Tatiana Rocio Padilla A' 16 u1ad i lla@sm ith .edu
162. Emily Willstatter A'l6. ewi 11 staner@smith edu
163. Shivani Seth A' 15 shi\ am.seth05@gmaj l.com
164. Jaleesa Myers A'16 [email protected]
165. Z. Wigham A' l6 [email protected]
166. Linda Perro A'l8 [email protected]
167. Eleanor Taylor Nl4 el hectaylor'?ymai I com
168. Rachel Greenberg A'l8 r!!reenbemripsm 1 th. ed u
169. Hez Wollin A' II hezwollinwh.!mail com
170. Jaime Stepansky A'17 jstenanc;kv@:smith.edu
171. Zoe Page A'17 [email protected]
172. Kaya Wynn A'18 kava.\\ ~·nnripsmith.edu
173. Jessica Tepper A'18 j teon~[Uhsm i th. edu
174. Daniel Segundo A'17 d<>[email protected]
175. Erika Wentworth A'l6 e''entworthlf]smith edu
176. Lisa Jaffe A'l5 Jjaffe 19fij gmail com
177. Samuel Gentile A' IS sg~n11lgfit:osmith .~du e
178. Samuel Pashall A' IS snilshnllti7 sm •lh.~du
179. Carly lnkpen A'16 !;!nkp~n~ smith !i!~h•
180. Sheryl Jaffe A' 12 ~Jiatl~~ymaii.~Qm
181. Sierra Black A' l7 sblS~~kt'i.i~mi Ih.~:dll
182. Sophia Zucker A' l4 slzuck,r1J\:mail com
183. Madeleine Brown A'J8 mcbrov.-·n'ii;tsmith.egu
184. Anastasia Y.T. Fujii A'l2 anastasiafujii .lcsw@!!mall .com
185. Mali Sicora A' l8 [email protected]
186. Kate McGuire A'l 5 katedmcg@gmaii,~OJD
187. Hunter Swanson A'09 huntemswanson@1.!m!]i l,cQm
188. Hannah Sprague A'l8 Hanna h.Spra t!ue87(t.!' mna i !.com
189. Eric Eichler A'12 mr,eichler'(t !!maiL com
190. Sherene Smith A' IS scsmjthf'0snllth edu
191. Madeline Nussbaum A' II madelineraeqgmail com
192. Janae Peters A'15 .lanae,t>eters@~majl com
193. Samantha Chaplin A' IS hellosamchaplinfij;~mml com
194. Gabriel Corens A'l7 ~corens@smith edu
195. Hannah Mason •At5 hi)nnahmasonmswi(j'~;ma l !,com
196. Caitlin Terzulli, •A II. Caitl [email protected]
197. Sarah Roan Coughtry A' II srecou!!htrv £~!!mai l.com
198. Megan Booth A' 18 mbooth•ll smith.edu
199. Katie Green A'l6 k!!reen@'~mith.edu
200. Camila de Onis A' l6 cdeonisl{i'smith.edu
201. Grace Van Schoick A15 Grace.\·anschoick<t! !!lll!HLcom
202. Nicolas McQueen A'l6 nmcgueen~(!·s nllt h, c.J.!.u
203. Ann Coakley A' I I an no;;~ k~ Sm· VI\ ho~) .~Qm •
20-l. Aubrey Koch A' IS uubrey j kochrli·yma1l ~om
205. Richard Malcolm A '18 rmalco!m'lf.smith cclu
206. Christopher Hamann A'l4 chmnann. mswl(i1~;ma 1l.com
107. Lindsay Heightman A'l4 l1 ndsilvhei!! htma n!lf!!;lll\l i 1, com
208. Danielle Frank A'15 daniellefmnkl .\·IS\\ r~h:mall cnm
209. Nicholas Johnston A' 17 njohnsronqsmi! h,ed\1
210. Dennis Pardo A' IS d pa rdn!'?•s mit h sd u
211. Sarah Lobb A'J8 slobb@smith edu
212. Li Brookens A' I I broo ken:!t heran~·@ gmai I. cQm
213. Emma Sando A'l4 emma.m.sando&.umail.com
214. Michelle Marchese A'11 michellg.m.march5l:;erfl'gmaJI com 4
215. Cappy Shapiro A'l3 cappv.shapiro@!!mail .com
216. Kelly J. Wise A' OS infQ~kellw.rise.cQm
217. Courtney Tucker A' 17 [email protected] e
218. Taylor Millard A'17 tmillardrt])smith.edu
219. Lenna Jawdat A '12 lenna j @~:rna i I .com
220. Carlos Encalada A ' 12 ~::~lmlQmbia•lQUt>~;mail~:~)·l,
221. Maytal Schmidt A ' 15 maytal.schmidtfij'~;majl.com
222. Jenny (Jennifer) Wyron A' 17 jwyron@smith edu
223. Mallory Nesberg A'17 [email protected]
224. Dominique Kalata A' IS dknlam((Jlsmith edu
225. Brian Kornobis A'l7 bkQI'nobis@smith edu
226. Amy Cooper A' IS [email protected] e
227. Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz A' l4 a \'i ga i I. hu rvitz.nri nzllJ>!!ma •I. com
228. Teresa Musick A'l7 tmusickll])smith.edu
229. Collin B. Lee Al4 Collin Lee.l'viSWtq;gmail.com
230. Denis Vidal A'l7 d\ •dal'@smith .edu
231. Josh Beebe A'l6 j beebel'ftlsm it h .edu
232. Denise Goitia A'l6 d!witia0 ,smith.edu
233. Kyla Lew A'l6 [email protected]
234. Karen Kantor A'l6 kkantorta:smith edt•
235 . Courtney Woodburn A' 16 [email protected]
236. Sarah English A'l6 senglmshrt~smith .edu
237. Libby Hinze A' l6 lhinze@•smith edu
238. Kimberly McKittrick A' J7 [email protected]
239. Tristan Muriel A' l6 t\ o!!elm·smith.edu
240. Julia Fogelson A' l6 jfoyelson@smith edu
241. Patrick Hunnicutt A'l6 phunnictltt{(_Vsmith.edl•
242. Aviva Jacobstein A'l6 ajacobst<g:smith.edu
243. Molly Toomey A' l6 m toome~r(tlsm it h .edu
244. Pilar Haile-Damato Al7 nhailedamato![~mith,~gy
245. Courtney Carton A'l7 cca11onr(tlsmith,edu
246. Rose Wilson A•14 annarosewilsonru.mnml.com
247. Emma Brenner-Malin A' l6 ebrennermalin@:ymail.com
248. Lenni Marcus A' 16 lm;m;al:iflilsmilh ~du e
249. Julia Alexander A'l7 iill~xand~r@sm il h .~du
250. Vicki Reiszner A'I4 \-r~iszner!'0~mad &Qn)