The VandalCard Office allowed printing VandalCards again Monday, printing a person’s preferred name, after going on a hiatus Oct. 3 due to legal issues brought forward by the Office of General Counsel.
The legal issues were brought to the attention of Dan Ewart, vice president of information and chief information officer, after the General Counsel read a previous Argonaut article on the name change policy. As of Oct. 21, VandalCards will be printed with additional language, Ewart said.
The language added to the front of VandalCards will read “Not for official identification” and the back of VandalCards “The name shown on this card may not be the holder’s legal name,” Ewart said. Beginning Monday all cards going forward will be printed with the additional language regardless if the student, faculty or staff uses a preferred name or not, Ewart said.
Ewart has been working with the Office of General Counsel, Office of Diversity and Equity and Dean of Students on the language of these cards to make sure it is sensitive to students, especially those who identify as transgender or non-binary.
“There’s a lot of consideration with that language. We certainly don’t want it to cause any issues for people, but we have to at the same time protect the university’s interest as well,” Ewart said.
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Amber*, UI student and transgender woman, said she knew of the preferred name change planned to come to campus before the hold on VandalCards was announced.
Amber’s last name is withheld at her request to protect her identity.
Amber was headed to the Bruce M. Pitman Center on Oct. 3 to speak with the Office of the Registrar about policy changes revolving around preferred names as she’s been working with the Registrar on these policy changes this fall. Amber is working with the Registrar to test these name changes on her own pages to trial run before preferred name changes take effect to everyone.
“I happen to see a copy of The Argonaut and was like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re doing that.’ And so, I walked in and we got it changed while I was waiting,” Amber said. “I didn’t realize that it would be the last opportunity to get it done.”
Amber said when she found out about the hold, which took place later in the day on Oct 3., she was livid — and she said she still is. For herself and the trans community on campus, Amber said it felt as though they were promised respect for their names and then it was pedaled back.
“I don’t think people who aren’t trans necessarily know how big a deal that is,” Amber said.
By having the ability to use their preferred names, it allows the transgender community to acknowledge “that we have the right to decide who we are,” Amber said.
The importance of names
Julia Keleher, director of the LGBTQA Office, said she knows names are important.
Keleher has been working with Yolanda Bisbee, chief diversity officer and executive director of tribal relations on the specific language of the VandalCards, so the cards will not spotlight transgender students.
Julia Keleher | Courtesy
“If the language is not appropriate or makes it seem like their name is not important than that delegitimizes their experience,” Keleher said. “I know that wasn’t the intention of the hold and the change in language, but my job really is to ensure that both parties are met.”
Keleher’s main focus has been making sure all VandalCards going forward will have the additional language.
Before the hold, three students received updated VandalCards, Ewart said. The students have been asked to come back to the office starting Monday to receive their updated VandalCard with the additional language.
“We won’t inactivate someone’s card and block their access to door access, meal plans we’re not going to do that,” Ewart said. “We will encourage them to come in get the new card.”
Amber, as one of the three students who received updated cards, said she doesn’t understand why they are the only ones who have to get new VandalCards.
“They’re not asking anybody else to do this, they’re not reprinting IDs for all 10,000 students they’re only doing this for the three trans students,” Amber said.
Brandon Krous, student technology center supervisor, said students will need to make sure to bring in their previous VandalCards when they come in for a preferred name change.
If any student who wishes to put their preferred names on their VandalCards do not bring in their old one, they will be charged with a lost or stolen fee of $25, Krous said.
Krous said he and his team were the ones to originally allow students to use a preferred name.
“We all kind of just sat down and were like, ‘Why don’t we just change the name on the VandalCard, it makes no sense that we can’t. So, we ended up changing names, that was really the only process,” Krous said.
How it plays out legally
Amber said she doesn’t understand why they have to use the terminology saying her VandalCard may not reflect her legal name and instead couldn’t the office just state VandalCards aren’t legal IDs.
Amber said she would like to see VandalCards modeled after Washington State University’s CougarCard, as WSU allows students to use their preferred name.
WSU allows students to enter their preferred name on WSU’s online system, ‘myWSU,’ and once that is done, students can ask for their name to be changed on their CougarCard, according to the WSU website tab ‘Gender Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation Resource Center.’
While a VandalCard is not a legal ID, Idaho state statues still accept student identification cards in some instances, Ewart said.
Those instances include being used as one form of identification on an I-9, a form used to verify someone’s identity and employment authorization when you are hired for a job in the U.S. and identification at voter polls, among others.
The future of preferred names
Keleher said she recognizes the university’s intent was not to devalue transgender students but understands why students are upset.
“Students are upset, and I think rightfully so,” Keleher said. “It’s hard to have situations where certain policies or procedures changed to benefit you. And then all of a sudden this stops it and has to change it in a way that makes you feel like, ‘Well, why is my identity, not important enough to have this continue forward?’”
While there has been talk of UI’s programs obtaining the ability to use a preferred name — like Banner, which runs pages like VandalWeb and Blackboard Learning — there is no official date for when those features will roll out, Ewart said.
“The university has been very active in trying to find ways to incorporate preferred name options for students, for employees, for everyone,” Ewart said.
Athene Peterson, a transgender woman, said she is glad to hear VandalCards for a preferred name change will be allowed again Monday and knows other steps are being taken to allow students to use their preferred names.
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“I do know some of these people are afraid that they’re going to go back there, give them the card and they’re going to get a card with their dead name back,” Peterson said. “I think it’s kind of fair it’s like they just don’t want to lose this.”
A dead name is the name those in the community used before they transitioned.
Keleher said these students are scared polices may switch back and not allow them to have the ability to use their preferred names but she hopes when the process does return Monday, more students will be willing to take advantage of this.
“We’re talking a lot about like policies — getting really into like the nitty gritty of how this works — but I really want to bring it back to this idea that trans students are valued,” Keleher said.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee