In an email announcement made by the newly named Santa Clara University Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies on Sept. 23, 2024, they shared they would no longer go by the name of Women’s and Gender Studies.

Department Chair Sharmila Lodhia stated in the announcement email, “We made the decision to change our department name and the name of our major and minor to more accurately reflect the evolution of our interdisciplinary field of study and the expansion of our curriculum and faculty expertise.”

Lodhia shared that the conversation about changing the department name was to indicate the field’s expansion beyond binary categories and integration with LGBTQ+ studies. Faculty, staff, alumni and current students initiated conversations about how the name change could create a more inclusive community.

“I think the emphasis in incorporation of sexuality studies is important too because I think of the areas where we’ve been getting interest expressed from students about a desire to have that specialization become an option,” Lodhia said.

Grace Davis, a senior minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies, spoke about how she fully supported the department name change.

“I think that the way that we talk about gender and feminism has changed so much in the past couple of decades that referring to it as a women’s study is kind of restrictive,” Davis said. “It might be off-putting to some students who otherwise would be really interested in the department.”

As Lodhia and Davis explain, changing the name of the department may seem small to some, but for them and several others in the department, the name defines who they are, what they represent and their diverse academic work.

“Our courses are being structured such that we’re talking more about gender identity in more expansive ways,” Lodhia said.

Lodhia hopes that with the new name, students will learn about their own and others’ identities. With students sharing what they would be interested in learning, several courses have expanded to encompass studies like masculinity, understanding transgender experiences, and activism.

“So many grassroots movements that we learn about in these classes are started from women of color, trans women, queer people,” Lodhia said. “But they aren’t the ones that are getting to actually be included in the academic spaces.”

Lodhia shares how it has been a lengthy process to get the change to take place, starting with the insight and opinions of students and faculty, to creating the proposal, and finally, to the Academic Affairs Committee. To finally see the new name implemented is an exciting moment for everyone in the Gender and Sexualities department, including the students.

“I’m so glad that [Santa Clara University] has moved in this direction, that this change has taken place and that students and faculty will be able to benefit from this,” Lodhia said.

This change is a step forward in further diversifying the department, which they hope will encourage students to explore it as a major, minor, or just to broaden their learning by taking one or two classes from the major. Starting in the upcoming winter quarter, the new code section for the courses will be “GNSX.”

“You may not end up being a frontline activist, but in whatever careers you pursue, this kind of understanding and framework will be really valuable,” Lodhia said.

The name change of the department is one of the few steps the University has taken this year in the mission to further enhance diversity on campus. Santa Clara University has been working hard on diversifying the campus, from its mission to becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution to doubling the amount of students in the LEAD Scholars program.

“It may on its surface seem like it’s not a big thing, but it is a really significant thing because people need to see themselves and their interests and their work encompassed,” Lodhia said.