On Monday, March 31, it was announced to Blue Key members via GroupMe that the organization will begin to “scale back” on announcing pronouns to prospective students and their families.
For years, Blue Key Society tour guides have kicked off their tours with a short introduction in the Connelly Center Cinema, sharing their name, graduation year, major – and pronouns. But recently, that script has changed.
The update was first communicated in a GroupMe message to Blue Key members by tour time captains who clarified the shift in tour guide introductions.
“IMPORTANT: In light of federal policy changes, pronoun use is still acceptable, but we are going to scale back on announcing them inside the Cinema,” the message read. “Use your best judgment, and if comfortable, you can share your pronouns with your tour group when you are alone with them.”
While the message stopped short of banning pronouns, it marked a notable shift in tone and practice for the organization, one that it made without outside pressures. The decision comes amid growing federal tensions around gender identity in education, prompting Blue Key leadership to assess how public-facing elements of campus tours are conducted.
According to Blue Key’s Inclusion Coordinator, sophomore Corey McCall, the update was shared with the option for members to reach out with any questions or concerns, though no feedback has been received so far. For the time being, Blue Key members are working with the University, including the Office of Belonging and Inclusion, to continuously navigate the changes as they come.
“Everyone at this University is navigating these changes and trying to still maintain Villanova as a community for everybody, one that wants to make sure that everybody feels comfortable, while still making sure that our tour guides feel comfortable,” sophomore and Blue Key Development Coordinator Hannah Logue said. “Adhering to that [is] going to continue to be a very ongoing process, and we’re at the very early stages of that.”
Concerns from prospective parents during campus tours surrounding pronoun usage did play a role in prompting this change. Some parents expressed confusion or discomfort with the practice, leading Blue Key leadership to reconsider how personal information is shared in the more formal, public-facing portion of the tours in order to protect the guides.
“Generally, it’s pretty common [for] universities who decide to implement pronoun usage and parents who might not [agree] with it, so there’s definitely been feedback regarding it,” junior and Blue Key President Miki Domeneghetti said. “It definitely wasn’t a decision that was made totally in the dark. But at the end of the day, it’s more about, like I said, kind of protecting our guides.”
Blue Key has always made conscious efforts in the past to educate members on inclusivity. It has always been a requirement for members to attend two “Inclusion Events” per semester in order to stay in good standing. Following the recent change, there are four mandatory workshops being held this week by McCall, of which members must attend at least one.
“I’m making an interactive portion, so just getting a gauge on how guides are comfortable with giving a tour regarding federal policy changes,” McCall said. “So being able to understand how they feel is important, and then how we can accommodate that, and then going through the federal policy changes that was provided by OBI is just for that.”
With Admitted Students Day (ASD) fast approaching on April 12, McCall also plans to review different scenario-based questions that may come up on ASD to help prepare members.
However, these preparations take place alongside ongoing conversations about inclusivity and how the University is navigating this complex issue, particularly in its interactions with prospective students.
“We don’t see [this decision] in any way as a setback in terms of inclusivity,” Domeneghetti said. “Obviously, there’s issues going on [at] the federal level that may affect this, and it’s tough. It’s a balance here, and the way we are going about it is making sure that guides can still say what they want to say and still introduce all of the diverse aspects of our campus and being able to self-identify, but perhaps using broader tones or being a little more speculative when they’re doing so.”
As Blue Key adapts to federal policy changes, it remains committed to ensuring that both tour guides and prospective students feel comfortable and supported.
The adjustments made to pronoun usage are intended to reflect the ongoing balance between inclusivity and compliance with evolving regulations.
