Northwest’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group serves to foster an inclusive, open campus community, advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual people. The LGBTQIA ERG consists of LGBTQ+ individuals interested in LGBTQ+ issues for employees (administrators, staff, and faculty) at Northwest Missouri State University.
Our goals are to:
- Foster a safe and comfortable environment for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff
- Educate the University community about the lives & concerns of LGBTQ+ individuals
- Provide positive role models of openly LGBTQ+ faculty & staff as a support system for other LGBTQ+ faculty, staff & students.
- Advocate for and facilitate the inclusion of LGBTQ+ lives & concerns in academic pursuits such as research, curriculum development, & cultural programming
- Advocate for LGBTQ+ issues within the structure of the University, e.g., University policy and personnel issues
- Create a forum to respond to issues of concern to LGBTQ+ people in the wider community
Contact Information
Dr. Elyssa Ford
Associate Professor of History
ebford@32gg.net
Executive Council
General Resources
LGBTQ+ Employee Resources & Processes at Northwest
To Change Preferred Name
- Contact the HR office to adjust your preferred name within the Banner system (ie., CatPAWS, Canvas).
- Employment documents, such as W4 forms, cannot be changed without a legal name change.
- Email: If you contact HR about a preferred name change, this also can change the name associated with your email address. To change your email address, you need to contact the IT office; note that this includes deleting your current email account and creating a new one.
Workplace Environment
The HR office takes seriously the workplace environment for all of our employees. This includes issues related to sexuality and gender identity, such as the refusal by colleagues, contractors, or students to use preferred names and pronouns.
Questions or Concerns
You may reach out to the LGBTQ+ affinity group at any time, and HR office is available if you have any questions or concerns.
