For this month's newsletter, we are commemorating Trans Awareness Week, happening from November 13-November 19. The first section of this newsletter through "Tips for Allies" comes from GLAAD's website about Trans Awareness Week, which is a wonderfully replete source on this important week. Part of our aim in writing this newsletter is to reaffirm how important individual identities are to conducting undergraduate research, that they impact every day lived experiences. With that, we want our Trans students and Trans undergraduate researchers to feel seen, supported, and validated as they continue along their undergraduate research journeys at FSU. We stand in solidarity with and in support of the Trans community.

In addition, we want to highlight the disproportionate violence and trauma that Black Trans Women and Black Trans Femmes experience as a result of institutional transphobia and racism. Black Trans Women and Black Trans Femmes have always been at the forefront of social movements of abolition, liberation, and freedom, and it is our duty to support and care for them in any way possible. Our hope is that this newsletter, in conjunction with GLAAD's resources, can serve as a starting point to learning about Trans-related issues and to dismantle and abolish forms of institutional transphobia and racism that continue to perpetuate violence and discrimination against Trans folks. We encourage you to read more--The Transgender Law Center is a great place to start--about these issues, specifically notions of liberation from oppressive structures and what that looks like in forming new ideas of a livable life for all people.

"Each year between November 13 – 19, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility about transgender people and address issues members of the community face.

Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community (GLAAD)."

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence that year.

"Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester's death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

'Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible -- it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.'

- Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith"

"Participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance by attending and/or organizing a vigil on November 20 to honor all those transgender people whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence that year, and learning about the violence affecting the transgender community. Vigils are typically hosted by local transgender advocates or LGBTQ organizations, and held at community centers, parks, places of worship, and other venues. The vigil often involves reading a list of the names of those lost that year.

Please see resources below on how to write stories about transgender people who have been victimized by crime, and additional resources for writing about the violence that affects transgender people, especially transgender women of color.

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, GLAAD remembers the transgender people whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence this year and over the years."

"The following are tips that can be used as you move toward becoming a better ally to transgender people. Of course, this list is not exhaustive and cannot include all the "right" things to do or say because often there is no one "right" answer to every situation you might encounter.

When you become an ally of transgender people, your actions will help change the culture, making society a better, safer place for transgender people and for all people (trans or not) who do not conform to conventional gender expectations.

Transgender people don't look any certain way or come from any one background. Many transgender people do not appear "visibly trans," meaning they are not perceived to be transgender by others. It is not possible to look around a room and "see" if there are any transgender people. (It would be like a person looking around the room to "see" if there are any gay people.) You should assume that there may be transgender people at any gathering or in any space.

Gender identity is different than sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is about who we're attracted to. Gender identity is about our own personal sense of being a man or a woman, or neither of those binary genders. Transgender people can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or straight.

If you're unsure which pronoun a person uses, listen first to the pronoun other people use when referring to them. Someone who knows the person well will probably use the correct pronoun. If you must ask which pronoun the person uses, start with your own. For example, "Hi, I'm Alex and I use the pronouns he and him. What about you?" Then use that person's pronoun and encourage others to do so. If you accidently use the wrong pronoun, apologize quickly and sincerely, then move on. The bigger deal you make out of the situation, the more uncomfortable it is for everyone.

For some transgender people, being associated with their birth name is a tremendous source of anxiety, or it is simply a part of their life they wish to leave behind. Respect the name a transgender person is currently using. If you happen to know the name someone was given at birth but no longer uses, don't share it without the person's explicit permission. Similarly, don't share photos of someone from before their transition, unless you have their permission.

Some transgender people feel comfortable disclosing their gender history, and some do not. A transgender person's gender history is personal information and it is up to them to share it with others. Do not casually share this information, speculate, or gossip about a person you know or think is transgender. Not only is this an invasion of privacy, it also can have negative consequences in a world that is very intolerant of gender diversity. Transgender people can lose jobs, housing, friends, or even their lives when other people find out about their gender history.

You may hear anti-transgender comments from anti-LGBTQ activists, but you may also hear them from LGB people. Someone may think that because they're gay, it's ok for them to use certain words or tell jokes about transgender people. It's important to challenge anti-transgender remarks or jokes whenever they're said and no matter who says them.

Support all-gender public restrooms.

Some transgender and gender non-conforming people may not feel like they match the signs on the restroom door. Encourage schools, businesses, and agencies to have single user, unisex and/or all-gender restroom options. Make it clear that transgender and gender non-conforming people are welcome to use whichever restroom they feel comfortable using.

"LGBTQ" is now a commonplace term that joins lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender people under the same acronym. If you are part of a company or group that says it's LGBTQ-inclusive, remember that transgender people face unique challenges, and that being LGBTQ-inclusive means truly understanding the needs of the trans community and implementing policies address that them.

The best way to be an ally is to listen with an open mind to transgender people speaking for themselves. Follow thought leaders in the transgender community. Check out books, films, YouTube channels, and trans blogs to find out more about transgender people and the issues people within the community face."

Applications for those grants will be due February 1, 2022. You can read more about the IDEA Grants here: https://cre.fsu.edu/undergradresearch/ideagrants

On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) will be hosting the 2021 Fall Research Day! This year, we will be having 16 presentations from disciplines ranging from psychology to sociology to biology and more. This will be an incredibly engaging event to learn more about what undergraduate research is looking like at FSU!

Please register for this event here.

Undergraduate students may apply for up to $750 to cover costs for conferences in their discipline (or a related discipline). Both virtual and in-person conferences are eligible for funding. Rolling deadline, though you must submit this application at least 6 weeks prior to the conference at which you will be presenting (though, you may need to submit this earlier to ensure registration by conference deadline). You will need to upload an itemized list of expenses as part of this application. Read more and apply here: https://buff.ly/35WFYQj

The Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) will be hosted at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, from February 18th to 19th, 2022. FURC is one of the largest multi-disciplinary research conferences in the country. Students attending FURC will have the opportunity to showcase their own research and connect with students conducting research at other Florida institutions. The conference will also offer workshops and a graduate school fair.

CRE will provide poster printing as needed for the selected students. Students must submit their abstracts to the UCF FURC 2022 Website by December 10th, 2021, AND must complete the CRE SurveyMonkey travel funding application by the deadline of December 10th, 2021.

First, apply here at FURC 2022 website

Then, complete the FURC Conference funding application through the CRE.

We are currently accepting applications from students from all majors and disciplines who have undergraduate research projects they would like to present. Preference will be given to Honors in the Major students or students completing similar culminating/independent research projects. If selected to present, you will be one of four students that will be representing FSU at this event. You will also be required to attend a dinner and advocacy training session in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 and to be available at the Florida Capitol from 9am to 4pm on Thursday, January 20th, 2022. Read more about Florida Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol here: https://www.floridaundergradresearch.org/posters-at-the-capitol

Submit your application here by November 18th to be considered! Email David Advent with any questions.

Mark your calendars for the 2021 Global Scholars Showcase on Friday, December 3^rd at 3pm! After 12 months of preparing for, completing, and reflecting on their community-based experiences, each Global Scholar will be able to share about their individual experiences via a poster presentation. You’ve read their blogs over the past year, so come meet the cohort and engage with them about their time with the Global Scholars program!

RSVP Here: https://bit.ly/3wuOd1F

Find out more about the Global Scholars Showcase through the FSU Calendar event: https://calendar.fsu.edu/event/global_scholars_showcase#.YX_smx0pBBw

Learn more about each of the 2021 Global Scholars through their blogs: https://www.omprakash.org/blog/group/2021-fsu-global-scholars