South Dakota Public University Implements Pronoun and Tribal Affiliation Policy in Employee Communications

In a move that has left many scratching their heads and others outright enraged, South Dakota has taken a bold step to eradicate the use of gender pronouns in official correspondence by public university faculty and staff. While this may sound like a step towards gender neutrality, the unintended consequences have had a ripple effect, impacting Native American employees who are now being forbidden from proudly listing their tribal affiliations. This directive has hit home for Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her husband, John Little, both faculty members at the University of South Dakota, who have long included their gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their email signatures. To their shock and dismay, they received written warnings from the university in March for violating a policy put forth by the South Dakota Board of Regents in December.

As if the situation wasn’t already complex enough, it’s worth noting that all nine voting members of the South Dakota Board of Regents were appointed by Governor Kristi Noem, whose controversial remarks in March accusing tribal leaders of ties to illegal drug cartels and negligence towards children led to most South Dakota tribes banning her from their land. The backdrop of historical conflict between the state and tribes further complicates the matter, adding layers of tension and distrust.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first instance of such a policy being enforced. Houghton University in western New York made headlines last year when they terminated two dorm directors who stood their ground on including gender pronouns in their work email signatures. The fear now is that the South Dakota policy could be a harbinger of similar efforts creeping into public colleges and universities, setting a potentially troubling precedent.

Paulette Grandberry Russell, the president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, expressed surprise at the South Dakota university’s choice to use branding standards to eliminate the practice of including pronouns and tribal affiliations in emails. The American Association of University Professors, a college faculty advocacy group, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the unprecedented nature of the mandate for faculty members at a public university in the U.S. to drop their preferred pronouns in official correspondence.

The outcry doesn’t stop there. The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota has been inundated with concerns from faculty and students at the University of South Dakota, who view the new policy as a threat to their freedom of expression. The chilling effect of such directives cannot be understated, as they not only stifle individuality and self-expression but also propagate a sense of erasure, particularly felt by Native people like Red Shirt-Shaw who find themselves once again marginalized in their own land.

The lack of transparency surrounding the decision-making process behind the policy only adds fuel to the fire. Questions about whether university administrators or the University Faculty Senate were consulted prior to the policy’s adoption remain unanswered, leaving many to wonder about the motivations and implications of such a directive. In a time where diversity and inclusion are championed as paramount values, South Dakota’s stance poses a stark contrast, raising important questions about the boundaries between institutional policy and personal identity.