May 2017
Dear Students:
Welcome to Cardozo!
The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is committed to supporting, encouraging and fostering an open and inclusive community that respects the dignity of each individual, embraces diversity as a means of promoting a dynamic learning environment, encourages an open exchange of information and ideas, and is free of discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. [1]
The Cardozo community includes individuals of diverse identities, including those with various gender identities and expressions. As such, we believe that consistent use of preferred gender pronouns and preferred names is essential to fostering an open and inclusive community that respects the dignity of those who are transgender and gender nonconforming.
A preferred gender pronoun is a pronoun that an individual identifies with and expects others to use to represent that individual’s gender or gender identity. Some common preferred gender pronouns include: he/she/they/ze, him/her/them/hir, and his/hers/theirs/hirs. Since pronouns are frequently used in everyday language to refer to a person’s gender or gender identity, these words can often result in misgendering or misidentification.
In an effort to foster an open and inclusive community, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion maintains a database of preferred gender pronouns and preferred names for students. This database assists members of Cardozo’s faculty, administration and staff in our efforts to use correct names and pronouns on class rosters and in our daily interactions with each of you.
To update your information in our database, please use our Preferred Gender Pronoun and Preferred Name Form (available here - Please note that legal name and assumed pronoun will be used for any student who does not designate a preferred gender pronoun or preferred name using this form. In addition, legal name will be used for all Yeshiva University systems and official University documents.
Lastly, as you build relationships with each other, I hope that each of you will do your part to make Cardozo an open and inclusive community – ask, rather than assume, your classmate’s preferred gender pronoun; and whenever possible, acknowledge and correct the misidentification of others.
Thank you for your time and for adding to the diversity of the Cardozo community.
Sincerely,
Yolonda P. Harrison
Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
[1]See