Tag: wong

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Smith responds to pressure

Smith College’s gender and sexuality advocacy organization Q&A recently delivered a petition with 4,000 signatures to the university’s admission’s office in support of a transgender woman, Calliope Wong who was denied admission because her Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA) identified her as male, reports Huffington Post.

“The advocacy group and Wong have been working with GLAAD to shed light on the difficulty that transgender women face when applying to Smith. They want the college to input an inclusive admissions policy.After receiving the petition signatures, Smith’s Dean of Admissions Debra Shaver said that a committee will be formed to directly address the issues pertaining to transgender applicants.images-4

“The committee is expected to start meeting at the start of the new academic year in September. Students involved in the committee say they were told that the private women’s college would stop using the gender marker on FAFSA applications when evaluating transgender students for admission. Continue reading “Smith responds to pressure”

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Smith college transgender confusion

imgres-1As colleges and universities adopt increasingly inclusive stances toward transgender students, some institutions are finding themselves confused by an array of contradictory laws and government policies nationwide. As Huffington Post reports,

“An exclusive, women’s liberal arts college has rejected a transgender applicant because a government financial aid document still registers her as male.

“Calliope Wong, a student at Amity Regional Senior High School in Connecticut,posted a picture of her official rejection letter to Tumblr on March 10. Signed by Smith College’s Dean of Admission Debra Shaver, the letter thanked Wong for her application but said that “Smith is a women’s college, which means that undergraduate applicants must be female at the time of admission.” The problem, according to the letter, is that Wong’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) identified her as male. Continue reading “Smith college transgender confusion”