Office for Promotion of Equality and DiversityWaseda University

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Thinking about Diversity and Gender Equality in Daily Campus Life

Column:

Thinking about Diversity and Gender Equality in Daily Campus Life

Chihaya Kusayanagi
Professor in the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences

When I first joined the faculty here at Waseda University, “diversity promotion” and other such issues were not the topic of discussion that they are today. Waseda was so much bigger than the university I had come from, and I spent my first term feeling like a freshman student, wondering what life would be like here.

“They struggled with the gender-segregated rooms at the Seminar House.”

Over time I got to know a variety of different students, and one day I had a student confide in me that they had a gender identity disorder. When asked, the student told me of a range of problems that they faced in university. For example, the student talked about the pain of having to undergo health examinations based on the sex printed on their student ID card. They struggled with the gender-segregated rooms at the Seminar House. It was an ordeal every time the student was asked to present their student ID with their sex marked on it. And the list went on.

It made me realize early on that the large university size meant a greater diversity of students. At the same time, it made me want to do whatever I could to help resolve the difficulties experienced by this student. I consulted with colleagues and others around me as I pursued the issues one by one, and I found their response to be one of flexible accommodation, even with regard to health checks and accommodation issues. No doubt my efforts were preceded by a process of trial and error to help resolve a variety of other students’ issues. Students should not need to rely solely on their own strength to solve the issues that face them, as respect for diversity is an integral part of how Waseda University operates. In such a campus learning environment, students will feel more empowered in their individuality.

*This column is a space where members of the Waseda University community can use their daily work and experiences as a vehicle for expressing their thoughts and feelings.

(by SANKAKU NEWS No.15)

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