In my last column, I wrote about recent pushback against discriminatory gendered grooming standards and a toxic campus culture at Cal Maritime, a university that’s part of the CSU system and provides ocean career opportunities to its graduates, including many from Monterey Bay. Students wear uniforms and adhere to grooming standards. The grooming standards for 2021-2022 require cadets to identify as male or female, or obtain written permission from university leadership should they identity as non-binary or as a gender different than their perceived gender or gender assigned at birth.

Commandant Lombardo, who sent a campus-wide email condemning hate speech in relation to the grooming standards as well as racist rape threats, was immediately suspended through the end of this semester.

In response to inquiries about Lombardo’s suspension, Cal Maritime’s Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Sarah Kidwell, wrote via email that Cal Maritime is obligated by law to maintain the confidentiality of its employees. I wonder why the confidentiality of student gender identity does not seem to receive these same protections.

While I understand that progress isn’t perfect, I question how a publicly funded university, replete with strategic communications executives and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) council, published these standards in the first place. I wonder what the conversations looked like at the leadership level as I assume that any policy affecting the bodily experience of students was reviewed by multiple individuals and groups who ultimately gave it a greenlight and enshrined home in the cadet handbook. I wonder what good the “inclusion” element of DEI achieves if full inclusion is left out prior to enacting a policy.

The grooming standards remain in effect. “We will be seeking input on the revisions until January 11, so that our faculty and cadets can have ample time to share input,” wrote Kidwell. Cal Maritime students will begin the spring semester held to standards that discriminate based on gender and that could force some cadets to out themselves to leadership. There’s been no edits, exceptions, or temporary suspensions to the standards.

Sophie Scopazzi, profiled in my last column, is a senior at Cal Maritime. Originally from Marin County, Scopazzi wanted to complete high school and put formal academia in her rear view. She worked as a chef and first mate on a charter boat in San Francisco Bay. It wasn’t until two years after graduating that she learned about Cal Maritime. “I knew from the moment I toured campus that I wanted to attend,” Scopazzi says. She voyaged through the Panama Canal and the Azores during her freshman year. She was a video engineer aboard the ocean exploration vessel Nautilus, a familiar name in Monterey Bay deep sea research “The opportunities this university offers are unparalleled.”

Scopazzi is clear that she’s not against uniforms. She recognizes that workplaces may have specificities for professional attire and safety. “There’s no need whatsoever for gendered grooming standards,” says Scopazzi. “Our ‘leaders’ actions do not embody respect. Their actions send a message that it’s OK to treat people differently based on their perceived gender identity, that it’s okay to discriminate. Their actions tell us that it’s OK to require students to out themselves – a gross violation of students’ privacy.”

She continues, “Policies that codify the treatment of others based on their perceived gender identity does nothing but further the exact culture we are trying to change. Long hair is not exclusive to any one gender, the color of your nail polish has no effect on your ability to do your job, and anyone can wear earrings; all of this can happen as long as students are dressed safely for the work they are doing.”

“There are people on this campus and at other maritime academies who are afraid to be themselves. This policy was put in place in California, which leads one to worry about what kind of policies exist at other maritime academies nationwide,” Scopazzi says. “That’s one reason I’m willing to go through this. If I can help just one person who sees this story, maybe they will feel encouraged. Maybe they’ll think, ‘Someone else is standing up and I can, too.’”

In addition to organizing with her peers to advocate for gender neutral policies, Scopazzi created a website for the university’s community members to share their experiences and opinions about equity at Cal Maritime which can be accessed at www.csumstudentvoice.org. Be forewarned that stories on the site are triggering.

“I was sexually assaulted by another student on campus, in public, in front of other cadets,” reads one entry. “I did end up sharing what had happened to a commandant, and they held a meeting with the student and I as a form of mediation. The commandants then advised me to ‘get coffee with him, get to know each other’ and that there would be no action taken because it was just hearsay, and the student claimed he had no idea what the accusation was founded on … I was quite literally told, ‘Boys will be boys.’”

In her recent book, “Believe,” lawyer and gender rights advocate Anita Hill details how universities go to great lengths to minimize public knowledge about gender violence and discrimination. “Schools seem to prioritize protecting their financial stream and squashing scandals,” she writes. Citing a 2020 Chronicle of Higher Education nationwide survey about institutional handling of complaints, Hill opines, “On the whole, campus officials were more likely to say they had taken certain steps than to report that those steps were effective. In other words, the changes being made offered institutional cover but did not appear to have made a difference in student’s experiences.”

Kidwell did not seem pleased with my column. “My biggest concern is that what you have written might be taken at face value and could dissuade a young woman from exploring Cal Maritime,” she emailed.

There’s an understanding in justice work that when institutions attempt to increase their diversity, recruited minorities can be treated as sacrificial. Underrepresented people are encouraged to ‘join in,’ but are subjected to disproportionate struggle. Kidwell can be concerned that the publishing of my writing could deter applicants, but I’d be most worried about student protection and acceptance. If scholars are not guaranteed a safe or equitable lived experience, they should have access to such information.

As for Scopazzi, she’s pushing forward in spite of the taxing effect this work has taken on her personal, emotional and academic wellbeing. “I’ve recently gotten called brave a lot, which I’m thankful for. However, I steadfastly believe we should not require bravery from someone to simply be their true self.”

Rachel Kippen is an ocean educator and sustainability advocate in Santa Cruz County and can be reached at newsroom@santacruzsentinel.com.

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