The university guarantees students the right to add new classes through the end of the official add/drop period. This may mean that new students arrive in your classroom at the beginning of the third week of the semester. Students should not be penalized for adding a course during the official add/drop period; instructors may need to adjust the scale of class-participation grading, or allow make up assignments, or extend assignment deadlines. Instructors are not obligated to re-teach material, but they cannot penalize students for adding during the official add/drop period. We recommend that instructors work with students who add during the official add/drop period to establish appropriate deadlines for work that is past due or nearly due and to help students catch up with major assignments within two weeks of their enrollment. If you are teaching a writing intensive course, please avoid unlimited extensions on deadlines because it may negatively affect a student’s progress in your course. Discuss with the student their obligations in other courses so that you can decide upon a deadline that is reasonable to you and feasible for the student.
Ask students for pronouns and their chosen name on the first day of class, and use those identifiers throughout the semester.
Integrate LGBTQIA+ topics throughout classroom content — you can find more ways than you think!
Create comfortable classroom climate
Make asking questions/showing of ignorance ok and use them as teachable moments, not as moments of embarrassment or shame
Rather than avoiding LGBTQ+ topics for fear of saying the wrong thing, acknowledge misstatements, commit to educating yourself and address student misconceptions/discomforts the following
Recognize that all students benefit from understanding the life challenges of persons who are LGBTQIA+
Be proactive in demonstrating values around inclusivity
Don’t make assumptions about the identities of the students in your classroom.
Include your pronouns on your syllabus, your nametag, your door tag, your email signature, etc.
Be careful not to “misgender” students. Misgendering could include not only using the wrong pronouns, but utilizing only binary language like “you guys,” sir, ma’am, policeman, fireman, and others. (Instead, use language such as “you all,” folks, everyone, police officer, firefighter, etc.)
Know where the nearest inclusive restroom is on campus, and recognize that if it is in a different building, some students may need to take longer traveling to the restroom they feel comfortable using. If possible, request a classroom closer to an inclusive restroom.