How FOA Made Our Systems More Inclusive for Everyone
Quick Summary
- FOA audited over 400 of its systems applications and made swift changes as part of UC Davis’ Gender Identity and Lived Name Policy. This action ensures all employees’ lived names and genders are accurately reflected.
The successful completion of a two-year project to bring 400+ systems applications into compliance with UC’s Gender Identity and Lived Name Policy represents more than just a technical accomplishment – it’s a step forward in living out our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism and Equity (IDARE).
“Our priority in this project was clear: to create a system environment that respects and represents every individual on our campus," shared Radhika Prabhu, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Administrative Innovation and Technology. “Compliance was one layer; at its heart, this initiative helps build a culture where everyone’s identity is acknowledged and supported.”
“We weren’t just focused on meeting requirements with a new state law; we were focused on the intent behind the change and the good it would bring,” Kim Stephens, project manager for the FOA initiative, explained. “We want to make sure our systems reflect the values we stand for.”
This project helps ensure that when someone logs into FOA systems, their lived name and gender identity are reflected, regardless of their legal name.
“The goal was to ensure that no one is unintentionally exposed by technology,” Stephens noted. “While much of this impacts the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s also about everyone – making sure name and gender display correctly, whether that’s Kimberly to Kim or something else entirely.”
The team reviewed approximately 400 applications to ensure compliance, focusing on systems referencing employee names and gender. While many of the applications, like those tracking building data, didn’t need updates, about 20 systems with gender data required updates.
“One of the complications is that the university has so many decentralized systems, and just because you update your name in one system doesn’t mean it updates everywhere,” explained Stephens.
UCPath became the central hub for this effort, ensuring that once employees update their information in one place, it automatically updates across other systems.
This project is now part of an ongoing commitment to keep systems up to date. “We’ll be monitoring it going forward to ensure new systems are compliant before we purchase them.”