Editorial:
Kolieboi and Patrick work to include all MU students
Hard work for Include Me MU paid off with support from students.
Published May 8, 2009
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Sophomore Sean Jarvis and senior Asher Kolieboi hold hands while protesting Brother Jed Smock during the Day of Silence on April 20. Include Me MU worked to add "gender identity and expression" to the protection clauses of student groups and governments.
In March, those who didn't conform to a conventional gender received little protection from discrimination by student groups, administrators or the university as a whole.
But due to the hard work of Include Me MU, founded by Asher Kolieboi and Yantezia Patrick, various student groups and governments have added "gender identity and expression" categories to their protection clauses.
"Asher and I had been talking about this for awhile, and it all came to a head," Patrick said.
The Include Me MU campaign affected the entire community. Patrick expressed a sense of pride in the community for coming together to support the cause, but she is also proud of personal accomplishments that went along with the campaign.
"I'm actually a pretty shy person," Patrick said. "Having to go out and be the face of a cause, a campaign, an issue, has been big because people form their own opinions."
Although the UM system Board of Curators has yet to approve the gender identity and expression its non-discrimination clause, Include Me MU knew they would be working from the ground up.
Missouri Students Association President Jordan Paul said the board is usually reluctant to change policies, so it's important to garner support from students and administrators first.
In April, an MSA referendum showed 82 percent of students supported adding "gender identity and expression" to the organization's non-discrimination clause. The Residence Halls Association added it shortly after.
Kolieboi said walking home just before the polls closed, he saw students wearing buttons and giving words of encouragement as he continued to hand out flyers.
"I think my proudest moment was a couple hours before the polls closed, and I was walking home still handing stuff out, and people kept telling me I had their support," Kolieboi said.
Include Me MU is now working to get individual schools to include the clause in their policies.