In just a few months, transwomen will learn whether or not they will be able to apply to Spelman College. The college’s Board of Trustees is expected to take a vote at the end of this fiscal year, according to a statement issued to Georgia Voice from Spelman’s Office of Communications.
“The Spelman College Transgender Policy Task force presented its recommendations to the Board of Trustees in late April,” the statement said. “We want to allow the full integrated process to come to a conclusion before commenting further.”
The task force was convened last fall after Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell as part of her commitment to expanding the college’s Title IX policies and practices. In a “welcome back” letter she wrote, Schmidt Campbell said it was one of two important such groups she planned to start.
According to the school’s website, the group was tasked with developing a policy recommendation “regarding the consideration of admission eligibility and enrollment of transgender students” at the historically black women’s college.
Task force members include Dean of Students Fran’Cee Brown McClure, interim Provost Myra Burnett, professors, students and alumnae.
“The task force’s comprehensive, inclusive and thorough process has thus far included: in-depth analysis of the legal and compliance issues related to Title IX and transgender students; numerous consultations with faculty, students, staff and alumnae groups; detailed reviews of existing policies at other women’s colleges; and examinations of the scholarly research and literature on gender identity,” the school’s statement said.
Trans activists who graduated from Morehouse College and Spelman College react to the August 2016 task force announcement: