FSA Updates
Winter 2024 Updates
Chick-Fil-A Coming to Campus? - Frequently Asked Questions
- The FAQ page will be updated regularly as new information is available.
Steering Committee Meeting Minutes - April 2024
Steering committee members met on Monday, April 22, 2024 to discuss the following topics:
- LGBT FSA Steering Committee Summer Retreat
- LGBT FSA End of Year Picnic - April 30, 2024
- Updates on Chick-Fil-A
Click here for the full meeting minutes.
Steering Committee Meeting Minutes - March 2024
Steering committee members met on Monday, March 18, 2024 to discuss the following topics:
- Transgender Week of Visibility Events with LGBT Resource Center
- LGBT FSA End of Year Picnic - April 30, 2024
- Queer Connections End of Year Celebration
- Updates on Chick-Fil-A
Click here for full meeting minutes.
Steering Committee Meeting Minutes - February 2024
Steering committee members met on Monday, February 26, 2024 to discuss the following topics:
- Steering Committee Division of Responsibilities
- Winter 2024 Steering Committee Meeting Schedule
- March Affinity Group Tabling Event
- March Rally/Event for Transgender Day of Visibility
- Updates on Planning Progress for Remaining Winter 2024 FSA Events
Click here for full meeting minutes.
September 2023 Updates
Open Letter to Campus on LGBT Climate
This was written by Steering Committee chair Kyle Felker and endorsed by the rest of the steering committee. It was shared with membership and campus in late July.
fsa-campus-climate-response-2023-24.htm
Report on Grievance and Complaint Policies and Procedures
The LGBT FSA has been trying to get campus to revise our Grievance and Complaint procedures for at least the last five years. Last May, members from the LGBT FSA, the Center, and Lakers Unidos met with representatives from both HR and the Title Nine Office in the hopes of getting enough data to put out a ore comprehensive report on what's not working, why, and what needs to be done to remedy the issues. This report is the result.
/cms4/asset/3F070008-E64F-9A34-9B067C555ACD7CB7/grievance.docx
April 2022 Updates
Milton Ford Center Director Search
The search for Director of the Milton Ford Center is still underway. If you know of any folks that have the experience and passion for this work, please refer them to the posting. This is a great opportunity for GV in the coming months, so please share broadly!
Nominations Open for Vacant FSA Position
Have you been looking for new ways to engage with queer colleagues on campus, advocate for faculty and staff needs, or pursue a professional development opportunity? The FSA currently has a position open on the Steering Committee! You can nominate yourself or another by emailing us directly at [email protected] with your intent to run. This intent will be shared with the membership at the time of elections.
AP Committee Findings
We understand that many of our members are not AP staff, but we thought the findings from a recent survey administered by the University AP Committee to be beneficial to our membership. As noted in the findings, AP staff are leaving at a higher rate than other employee designations across campus, with the last three quarters being the highest in the last four calendar years. The committee notes a high impact on non-white and minoritized staff. This work was presented to the Presidential Council on 3/11.
You can find the full report here: AP Memo to Senior Leadership Team
March 2022 Updates
Tracking of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity information in Banner
Work is currently underway to add functionality to banner that will allow staff to voluntarily disclose information about their gender identity and sexual orientation. Because the university does not currently track that data in the same way that we do data about other identity markers such as race, we can’t answer basic demographic questions about the LGBTQIA population here at GVSU. How many staff identify as LGBTQIA? Has that number gone up or down over the past five years? How does that break down by specific identity (gay, genderfluid, trans, etc.)? The hope is that having this data will help the university track trends in hiring and retention of LGBTQIA employees. Participation is voluntary, and care is being taken to ensure that data can only be accessed in aggregate, and cannot be linked back to individuals. There will be a formal rollout with more information when the work is complete, which should be in the next few months.
Milton Ford Center Director Search
Work is also underway to hire a new director and PSS position for the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center. Currently, all of the full-time staff positions in the center are vacant. Programming is being covered by the program assistant, graduate assistant, and student workers, with co-ordination from Marla Wick who recently stepped down from the Director role after a long history of serving the center. Kyle Felker is representing the FSA on the director search committee. The hope is to hire a new director and then involve that person in the search for a new assistant director. The position posting for the director position can be found here:
Benefits Matrix for Transitional Care
The benefits website has been updated with Priority Health’s matrix for coverage related to gender affirming care. This document makes it easier to see what is covered as folks seek any related care. You can access the document at the following link.
2020-2021 Updates
Listen to Kyle, the FSA's chair, in this video talk about what the FSA has been doing with the 2019 focus group feedback results.
2019 Focus Groups
Starting in 2019, the FSA began running focus groups with the membership every two years This project has three main goals:
- To assess and better understand the needs and concerns of LGBTQIA faculty and staff, so that programming and initiatives can be developed to meet those needs
- To engage the membership with the work of the steering committee
- To identify members who can help the steering committee increase engagement with new programs
Focus group script (Microsoft Word format)
Focus group report (Microsoft Word format)