On April 11 at 7:15 pm, Zachs Hillel House on the northeastern corner of campus filled with easily twice as many people as typical Student Government Association (SGA) general assembly meetings. This was due in large part to the open forum topic: transphobia on campus and specifically the rise of transphobia following incidents of voyeurism on campus.
As students filled into seats around the semi-circularly arranged tables, a handful took standing positions around the room holding posters saying “Affirm! Trans Identities, Support Trans Joy” and “Protect Trans Lives” and “Trans Lives Matter.” In addition to students, a number of deans and directors were in attendance.
This meeting was preceded the day before by a Transphobia Info Session held in the F.R.E.E. Center where students gathered to discuss the issue of transphobia plaguing the campus and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to make campus a safer place for gender expansive people. This event and the SGA open forum on the topic were popularized by Kazi Stanton-Thomas ‘26.
As always, the meeting began with the SGA Oath and roll call, both led by Parliamentarian Timothy Friend ‘25. The assembly was one short of quorum and no substitute had been sent, which meant the group was missing elected representatives and did not have enough present to vote on resolutions (the Sprout Garden Sustainable Projects Fund (SPF) proposal, Chess Club’s request for Registered Student Organization (RSO) status, or the additional of International and Transfer Students-at-Large to the assembly) or the previous week’s minutes.
Friend introduced the topic of the open forum and reminded those present to keep the general assembly a safe space for everyone to speak. President Bella Castellanos Palacios ‘25 informed the assembly that the meeting was likely to be longer than usual. She asked people to stay, saying “everyone has something important to say.”
Stanton-Thomas started off the forum by introducing themself as a member of the Gender, Sexuality, and Intersexuality Studies (GSIS) Student Advisory Board (SAB). They passed packets around the room for people to follow along with the conversation as they planned for it to go. Staton-Thomas announced that the font and size choice were selected for accessibility. They established the nature of the forum, asking people to listen to understand, not to respond.
Stanton-Thomas introduced Jesse Perryman ‘26 who read aloud her own testimony. She said, “the truth is that we live in a culture that hates trans people.”
In this light, allyship does not equal simply not being transphobic. Perryman said, “we all hold transphobic beliefs…You must confront the transphobic beliefs that your socialization in the culture has ingrained in you.”
Despite reading from her prepared script, her voice was clear and intense with emotion. She called on the audience at the conclusion of her testimony. She said, “You have positions of institutional power. When are you going to start using this power to protect your students instead of reacting to the violence perpetrated against them?”
Perryman’s testimony was followed by a round of applause that echoed with the acoustics of the Hillel Great Room.
An ally read the testimony of a student who could not be at the meeting to read it himself. The author wrote, “I don’t know where they got it in their heads to advertise the college as a queer safe haven.”
They discussed the lack of safety he feels using bathrooms on campus, the rampant transphobia on Yik Yak, and the performative nature of any emails sent about LGBTQ+ students. They also noted the uselessness of the presidential task force. They said, “I didn’t feel heard at all. Despite all my ideas and plans I’d been excited to share, I quit, because the task force was not doing anything worthwhile.”
This testimony was followed by another full round of applause, and Stanton-Thomas took the figurative stage once again.
They said, “while we do already have DEI initiatives on campus, they are not effective.” They emphasized the need for DEI to be proactive and flexible, as opposed to reactive. They articulated the primary issues noted at the Transphobia Info Session the day before: efforts to address transphobia are slow and inadequate, the move to get rid of gender neutral bathrooms harms trans people without any data to show that it would help prevent violence against anyone, gender neutral bathrooms in non-residential buildings are less accessible than the gendered ones, incident reports are intimidating and untrusted, faculty do not receive adequate training for DEI, housing for gender expansive students is inequitable, and general campus trainings are primarily optional.
Stanton-Thomas said the lack of transparency around transphobic violence is felt by the trans community as the college’s uncaring attitude toward the problem. As members of the trans community, trans students are actively harmed and their friends know about it, and they all watch the college say nothing to anyone else.
Stanton-Thomas said, “We make the active choice not to address transphobia. When we don’t stand up for each other, we are making an active choice. We are all participating.”
Specifically addressing the opinion that the removal of gender neutral housing in residence halls would address the issue of voyeurism, they explained that there is no data that shows trans people are perpetrators of this kind of violence. Notably, Associate Dean of Equity Compliance Megan Monahan emphasized that single-sex bathrooms could actually increase the levels of sexual violence that occur on campus.
On “gendering” the bathrooms, they said, “You can’t create a simple solution to a complex issue.” Students who promote this stance aren’t thinking thoroughly through the issue at hand. They are operating on socialized prejudices that cause them to fear those different from themselves.
In the classrooms, Stanton-Thomas said, “How are you supposed to learn as a student when you’re having to check your identity” in a classroom with professors who were never taught to respect and tolerate trans students?
They turned their attention to housing. Though there are single-sex floors for both cisgender men and for cisgender women, there are no floors reserved for gender expansive students. Forcing students to work on small and large group housing requires trans people to find a trans community, which is not necessary for students who wish to select single-sex housing.
In addition, they said, “Trans people are under this unique period of transformation and often that transformation should be private.” They addressed the audience directly as they continued and said, “My identity process is not for your education.” They expressed a strong sense of dissatisfaction with first-year trans students being forced into uncomfortable roommate situations where they feel “on display” for their transphobic cisgender peers.
Stanton-Thomas said, “Housing is too stiff to be equitable.”
And, on top of all of that, trans students have found themselves referred to Student Accessibility Services in order to receive housing accommodations for their identity. This is pathologized in their identity and equates transness with disability.
Stanton-Thomas called on the students of Connecticut College to regulate their peers on Yik Yak. Downvote and report discriminatory Yaks. Be brave enough to confront your peers when they do or post unacceptable things. The anonymity of the platform does not mean there are no consequences to posts. Though the authors of harmful posts are unaffected, trans students are hurt by the platform every day.
They moved then to the solutions crafted at the Transphobia Info Session: recurring violence and prevention training for every class year every year, a campus-wide diversity day, increased connection with SABs, gender expansive housing options, and public avenues for addressing this kind of violence.
They noted that the virtual modules for incoming first-year students are ineffective and short-lived. Adequate and repeated training should have incentives for participation and consequences for absences. Training could also be made mandatory for clubs to receive funding or for individuals to participate in certain campus events like Floralia.
A diversity day would both improve the general education of the campus community on DEI topics and make the campus look good, which should make the proposition appealing to the majority of high-power campus decision-makers, as Stanton-Thomas hopes.
As a part of training and DEI events, they also noted that the presence of Monahan would be critical. The level that students perceive Monahan as an approachable administrator is the same level that students feel the Title IX Office is a place they can turn to.
They said, “when you allow administrators to be present in the community, it allows people to feel more comfortable coming forward in their society.”
SABs are an avenue to every student at Conn, since every student takes classes in a department and every department is required to have an advisory board. They could be the tools to help design solutions and provide education across campus.
The absence of gender expansive housing “is a fault of housing itself but also a fault of cis heteronormativity,” according to Stanton-Thomas.
Though some have raised the concern that queer housing might lead to targeted violence against queer people, Stanton-Thomas pointed out that this violence is already happening. Not having a place for queer people to live in a community just means they are isolated and dispersed when violence occurs, which makes it even harder to address and to heal from.
Stanton-Thomas said, “when bias occurs in a public space, it needs to be addressed publicly.” Without this, the violence is heard by the public and the reconciliation and resolution is left absent. People live in communities, they are hurt when their community is hurt. When consequences are kept private, that hurt remains unresolved in the community.
They ended their presentation by saying “We all need to be open to criticism, open to growth, but we cannot be open to complacency.”
As they moved to take their seats, the room erupted into another round of applause, and Friend opened the floor to others who may like to speak on the topic.
Arcelus took him up on the offer and thanked the students who spoke. He said, “There is no end to allyship. It is a constant work in progress. It is our responsibility as an ally to consistently and constantly focus on the work…On behalf of myself and our staff, we are absolutely and unequivocally committed to your safety and wellbeing…That doesn’t mean we hit the mark all the time—or even half the time, or a third of the time—but the work is constant.”
He noted that the solutions presented would be pivotal in helping the College move forward in addressing these issues on campus. He also emphasized that he would like to be in constant dialogue with students so he can better understand the student experience.
Interim Dean of Equity and Inclusion Nakia Hamlett spoke next. She said, “I think this is a community effort and I just want you to know that we deeply appreciate you trusting us enough to support you in this, and we are thinking about this all the time.”
As the Conn community continues to evolve and increase its active and genuine support for DEI, “the people who can’t get on board [will] realize this isn’t a place for them,” Hamlett said. “Sometimes, to create inclusion means we create exclusion,” which she said is an important realization for the college as it continues to progress.
A student asked how students are meant to bring issues to the attention of deans. Arcelus promoted the deans’ lunches and said he is always available to meet with students.
Arcelus said, “You’re always welcome to join me on a walk. I like to go on walks with students…It doesn’t have to be in a crisis moment that we’re in dialogue, it’s every day.” He added that he doesn’t want to impose himself on students, feeling that students wouldn’t enjoy the presence of a dean in all aspects of their daily campus lives, but welcomes students to engage with him.
Director of Gender and Sexuality Programs Justin Mendillo ‘18 emphasized the importance of students motivating and recruiting other students. They said the attendance of the Transphobia Info Session and the general assembly meeting “wouldn’t have happened at the level it did without all the work Kazi did…we need y’all to encourage your peers. We don’t have that social capital. It’s y’all that can get your people to show up.”
He encouraged everyone to process and acknowledge the work Stanton-Thomas put into assembling people in the room for the meeting. He said, “You all can do that too.”
Presidential Associate Tenzin Choedak ‘27 addressed the students in the room saying that the SGA executive board are all people students can approach who will then bring issues to relevant staff, faculty, and administrators.
Vice President Ian Hopkins ‘25 added, “There’s no reason why we can’t do stuff like this more often. Like, it shouldn’t be a one-off thing where we all come and we’re like, ‘wow, things are bad.’ And then we leave.” SGA had open forums at every meeting, and the entire purpose of SGA is to bring student voices to higher administration. He said, “Literally, come. Take up space. All meetings are open.”
Blackstone House Senator Abdul Dare ‘27 raised his hand to say that we all vote for students to represent us but we promptly forget about them. If we want SGA positions to be more than just resume-builders, then we need to hold them accountable in their positions and treat them like they have power over the school because they do.
He said, “Every single issue that arises on campus, we need to think ‘We need to go talk to the SGA.’ We need to ask ‘What have you done? What are you planning to do?” Dare emphasized that we are a very small community and if we take the resources we have at our disposal, we can address our issues. It’s not impossible.
Jonathan Dayan ‘25 brought up the cameras set to be installed in residence halls. He said, “It’s hard to hear, as a student, that we can invest in cameras for a year but it’s too hard to invest in more staff to make Green Dot training mandatory.” Though he said he’s not comfortable with cameras in residence halls, he understands the need for them at this time.
On the note of communication and mobilization among the student body, he said, “People want change, even though there’s a communication issue. When stuff goes down, people show up.”
Explaining the apparent disconnect between the College’s direction of funds and stated priorities, Arcelus said that there are different pools of money for infrastructure and for personnel and they are not permitted to overlap. He also reminisced on the campus during the first-half of his time working at Conn when Green Dot training was pervasive and campus culture was defined by the strength of the Green Dot program. He hopes to see the college return to that state in the future.
Stanton-Thomas spoke again to say, “If you are a student in your community, you can be your own leader for cultural change.”
Returning to the unfortunate reality that some bathrooms are still not renovated and renovations are not slated to be complete until the end of summer 2025, Arcelus claimed there are genuinely too few contractors in this geographic region to renovate the bathrooms at a faster rate than the college is currently working at.
He said, “It’s not because of not having the will or not having the money, it’s just because of the logistical issues…I know it’s hard to hear when it’s not the bathroom you’ll be living with next year, but it’s literally pedal-to-the-medal on this right now.”
Dare raised his hand again and said, “The times are changing and we, as people, are also changing.” He said that we have a very big issue that we can’t ignore. We cannot continue with slightly altered but still outdated policies.
On the cameras, he brought up the fact that students all have cameras on their phones and we bring them everywhere. He questioned why we are so much more afraid of these cameras set to be installed that will have so many more restrictions on them.
Bigger than the issue of cameras, Dare said, is knowing what has happened to peers around campus. He acknowledged that the school has to abide by a number of restrictions, but he felt that students must know the full extent possible that there is to know both as a deterrent to future potential violators and for the students to be properly equipped to hold the college accountable to any policies we implement. He said students need to know about the consequences after an incident, not simply that an incident occurred.
Though Arcelus explained it is illegal for the school to share the consequences experienced by a student for violations like voyeurism, he also admitted that communication around these incidents is something to be improved upon.
Choedak addressed his comment to the general assembly. He noted that no assembly member has put forward a resolution at any point during the year, despite the multiple presentations on resolutions and the resolution-writing process that the executive board has presented. Failures of the SGA to enact changes at the school are not the sole faults of the members of the executive board, every house senator and class president also shares responsibility for drafting and promoting legislation. A legislative body for almost 2,000 people cannot rely on just 10.
Chair of Academic Affairs Adrien Landon ‘25 (me) spoke up at this point to address the students in the room unfamiliar with the SGA and resolutions. As I wrote in my April 4 SGA Column, resolutions are SGA policies and are how the SGA does stuff. I also added that it was really, really, really important for people to hold their representatives accountable and ensure they show up to SGA meetings. Without the presence of the general assembly, it doesn’t matter how many resolutions there are. When we can’t vote, resolutions are useless.
As Parliamentarian, keeper of attendance Friend explained some of the attendance issues the general assembly has been facing. As of the April 11 meeting, there were eight houses without house senators at all, which makes it even harder for the assembly to meet quorum, even when everyone is trying to show up. He encouraged the students in the room to confirm they had a house senator, become house senators, and show up to assembly meetings. It is through this kind of engagement that the SGA can be an effective body of shared governance to address issues like transphobia and voyeurism on campus.
For a while after this, the conversation became mixed as though two conversations were happening at once: one about campus communications with a specific focus on ConnQuest and one continuing the topic of transphobia and voyeurism. This can happen at general assembly meetings since they are facilitated with a semi-rigid structure that ensures people speak only one at a time. Sometimes, by the time it is a person’s turn to speak, a number of people have added their comments in between the one they initially wanted to respond to. The rest of my retelling of this conversation may seem like it jumps around a little bit, and that is because it did. I have tried to synthesize it the best that I can to the main points of these topics.
Chair of Communications Eli Craddock ‘26 offered to assist any student organization with ConnQuest and encouraged them to reach out. He is also working to provide more guidelines to clubs about how to disseminate information to the campus. On voyeurism, he said a double-shower curtain temporary solution “would be very, very, very, very, very helpful.”
Hopkins said that it would be possible to have resolutions ready for the next SGA meeting about the solutions discussed at the forum. He said, “We can do all this in the last few weeks we’re here. We don’t have to wait until next year.”
Maddie McDaniel ‘27 said it was a failure of something that there was no information about the SGA provided to students during orientation.
Castellanos Palacios encouraged students to contact SGA members if they are interested in writing resolutions.
Jane Addams House Senator Ethan Chin ‘25 complained that the a cappella groups are flooding ConnQuest, making it an inefficient and unhelpful place to see events of interest to people outside of a cappella.
Class of 2024 President Lyndon Inglis said that it’s the same students who do everything on campus. The same students do activism and the SGA and work in Residential Life and DEI. These students are burned out and it’s a problem that others are disengaged.
Stanton-Thomas shut down the conversation about ConnQuest. They said, “It hurts that this conversation could get so sidetracked.” At a point in the meeting, ConnQuest was able to overshadow transphobia and voyeurism. They said, “Don’t overshadow DEI. Your issues are important as well, but—time and place. It hurts. It hurts, and we’re already in pain.”
They said, “I will write the [ ] out of a resolution, but that’s also more work for me. I will continue to do the work. It’s interesting, too, as marginalized people, to educate or do the work for the school.”
Friend responded, “I know it seems unfair—and it is unfair—that it seems students always have to do all the work.” But, he said, the SGA needs the help of the rest of the student body. The members of SGA cannot be expected to do everything and know everything that every group desires to be done.
The end of the forum was met with a particularly large and loud round of applause. As the room transitioned to the rest of the business of the general assembly, those standing holding posters finally moved to take seats after two-and-a-half hours.
At a point during the open forum, one additional member of the general assembly showed up and we met quorum exactly.
There were no new resolutions to be presented, but there were three to be voted on from the meeting the week before. The request for $30,000 from the SPF for Sprout Garden was approved. Chess Club’s resolution for RSO status, unfortunately, did not pass. The general opinion of the general assembly seemed to be that they would appreciate observing the club for another year and would prefer to continue to meet their funding needs through specialty funding requests. And finally, the resolution to add International and Transfer Students-at-Large to the general assembly passed and will go to a referendum that the whole student body will be asked to vote on next year.
In the committee reports, Landon (me) announced the college’s decision to partner with Chartwells to manage Dining Services. Though this is a significant change on campus, there were no additional questions about the matter and it was, therefore, a short announcement at the assembly.
After going through officer reports, the meeting was adjourned with a final reminder from Friend that house senator emails are important as methods of information dissemination to the campus community.
