Diversity & Inclusivity

As one of the nation’s most diverse campuses, CSUDH has an obligation to set the highest standard for inclusivity. Words matter, and we should all strive for inclusive language at all times.

This guide follows the Chancellor’s Office’s Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide. We add a few examples in this guide, but here is the full guide.

gender—gender refers to a person’s social identity, while sex refers to biological characteristics. It is best to ask how a person would like to be referred. Unless the preferred gender is known, it is best to reword sentences to avoid gender pronouns. For a more detailed explanation, please see the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

Hispanic—Hispanic generally refers to people living in the United States who have origins in Spanish-speaking countries. Hispanic and Latino/a/x are used interchangeably. Be consistent within a document. (See Latina/o/x) For more details, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

Latina/o/x—Latina/o/x generally refers to people living in the United States who have origins in Latin America and the Caribbean. Latinx is acceptable as a gender-inclusive neutral term. If referencing a person, ask how they wish to be referred. (See also Hispanic) For more details, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

LGBTQIA— LGBTQIA is an abbreviation for "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and/or questioning, asexual/aromantic/agender." The “A" in LGBTQIA may also refer to “ally" or “allied," meaning someone who does not identify as LGBTQIA but supports those who do. This is our preferred use, as opposed to LGBT, GLBT or other abbreviations.

That said, if a source in your content prefers to be referred to or identified using another term or abbreviation, please abide by their preference.

May be used in first reference. For more information, please see the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

low-income—Preferred to words such as “poor,” “underprivileged,” or “disadvantaged.” (See also Pell-eligible) For more information, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

minority/minorities—Avoid using. Instead, use people of color or students of color.

Pell-eligible—Refers to students who receive federal Pell Grant aid. Often used interchangeably to refer to “low-income students” because the grant is given based on exceptional financial need. However, it does not refer to all low-income students because only U.S. citizens and citizens from another country with permanent resident status are Pell-eligible. For more information, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

people with disabilities—Avoid using descriptors that label the person by their disability (example: paraplegic. Instead, if essential to the writing, say the person has paraplegia). If the disability is not part of the story, and there isn’t a need to include it, don’t. For more information, see the CSU Diversity and Inclusivity Style Guide.

underrepresented—Refers to racial and ethnic populations that are represented at disproportionately low levels in higher education. For more information, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.

underserved—Refers to communities or students who do not receive equitable resources compared to others. For more information, please visit the CSU Diversity/Inclusivity Style Guide.