The Seminary desires that all persons, female and male, live and work together in mutual respect and high regard for each other as bona fide members of the community. Therefore, the Seminary Board and faculty have agreed:

1. that men and women have equal access to the education and to the degrees which this Seminary offers;
2. to provide guidance, counsel and assistance in locating positions in church ministries for which men and women have gifts and qualifications;
3. to encourage and assist Seminary student spouses to take classes whenever possible, and to be participants in the life of the Seminary community;
4. that women and men shall have equal rights, freedom and equal regard in all matters of school life, position, privileges and responsibilities.
5. to give guidance and encouragement in the discerning of gifts for ministry, and provide training and opportunity for the equipping and exercising of these gifts for men and women alike.

To fulfill this intention for a respectable and Christian community the Seminary suggests the following steps:

1. Focus on personhood rather than on femaleness and maleness in our conversations, relating to each other first and foremost as gifted and unique individuals who are preparing for more effective ministries in the church.
2. Encourage involvement of all persons on campus in various functions of the community, including chapels, seminars, pastoral candidating, orientation sessions, forums, etc.
3. Have academic advisers and counselors offer information and guidance to women in their preparation for ministry and assist them in discerning suitable ministries.
4. Urge spouses of Seminary students to take classes at the Seminary, not only in preparation for future ministries as partners, but for the purpose of bonding their marriage relationships.
5. Provide occasional forums to clarify issues and promote understandings in our community.
6. Urge student spouses to participate in library orientation sessions, to better use the library and its resources for their own enrichment.
7. Assist students to come to terms with their own identity in male and female relationships.
8. Orient speakers and lecturers, when appropriate, to recognize their audience as being both male and female.
9. Avoid jokes which are demeaning and tend to be a part of our conversation and behavior, but which have derogatory implications.
10. Commit ourselves to the use of non-discriminatory language. For many of us this demands a new awareness; we will need each other’s help to implement change where it is needed.

Recommended further sources of information:

All May Be One: A Guide to Inclusive Church Language, by Task Force on Women, Presbyterian.

“Suggestions for Using Non-Discriminatory Language,” Office for Women’s Concerns, Fuller Seminary.