Garrett Ingram, the former president of RDC's Pride on Campus organization, says LGBTQ+ voices were not considered at any point in the name change process recently undertaken by college officials. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall and Sheldon Spackman

Lessons Learned?

Most, but not all, pleased to see RDC drop team name change

Feb 14, 2020 | 1:00 AM

When Red Deer College announced plans to change the names of their athletics teams, pushback from the community was immediate.

RDC announced in January that it wanted to evolve with names that were not gender-based as they transition to becoming Red Deer University. The college cancelled that plan last week and said the long-standing Kings and Queens names will remain.

RELATED: Red Deer University to keep Kings and Queens team names

More than 1,000 people had responded to the college’s online survey about the change, and nearly 8,000 signed a private petition to keep Kings and Queens.

“It seemed the general consensus was a lot of frustration, and people weren’t really sure why they would’ve made that decision without at least reaching out to the community, alumni, current athletes, and coaches to get together and make that decision,” says Blake Henwood, the former RDC Kings volleyball player and current assistant coach with the team who started the petition.

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Henwood believes that after more than 50 years, the Kings and Queens names are too engrained to change at this point.

“Lots of those signatures weren’t just alumni or people that had attended Red Deer College, but community members who wanted a voice as well. It seems everyone who jumped on board with the petition had the same thought process that the name change was unnecessary, and that changing such a rich history and legacy really didn’t need to be done.”

While a clear majority was in favour, not everyone was pleased with RDC’s decision to ditch the name change.

“My biggest issue is that everyone assumed RDC had contacted members of the LGBTQ+ community. I can guarantee from the two organizations I am/was a part of, there was no contact,” says Garrett Ingram, former president of RDC’s Pride on Campus. “To have the general population jump down the LGBTQ+ community’s throat about political correctness wasn’t fair; we didn’t tell RDC to change the name.”

Ingram, who is transgender and a second-year Sociology student, says the name change opened up possibilities for those who are gender-diverse to feel more welcome on a sports team.

“Some people don’t fit on the binary, so a name change meant it wouldn’t have to be all about what’s in anyone’s pants.”

Ingram, and fellow student Patrick Michelsen, had planned to attend rebranding focus groups scheduled for Feb. 11.

“We were enthusiastic about the change. We let everyone know in our Pride on Campus meetings that the survey was available online, and about the focus groups,” says Michelsen. “The change made sense because in rebranding to a university, it’s logical they’d consider changing other brands. Plus, no other school in Alberta has gender-based segregation of their athletics teams.”

RDC President Dr. Peter Nunoda confirms 75 people had registered to attend Tuesday’s focus groups.

“I can say unequivocally that the reception has been very positive,” says Nunoda. “People appreciate the fact we are respecting the legacy of those teams, and really, that was the focus for us going forward. We wanted to ensure that we’re positioning the soon-to-be university in the best possible way with alumni and current student-athletes.”

As for the focus groups, Nunoda tells rdnewsNOW the decision to cancel stemmed from uncertainty around what types of questions they would ask those in attendance.

“An open forum is not usually the best way to gather information. We really felt that at this point in time, given that we’ve made the decision, we would cancel those consultation sessions,” he says, insisting that the decision does not contradict RDC’s belief in having full inclusiveness and diversity.

“Certainly we are interested in ensuring that RDC, and RDU, is a safe place for people from all backgrounds, whether cultural, gender or sexual preference,” he says. “We participate on a number of levels to make sure that inclusiveness is part of the institution’s fabric. We’ll be looking for more ways into how we improve that welcoming environment.

“As president of the institution, my primary concern is about the reputation of the institution and that’s what we are always trying to safeguard.”