The University of Idaho is working to provide students and employees with the ability to use their preferred first name for use across platforms like BlackboardLearn and VandalWeb.
The changes are intended to prevent instances of deadnaming, experiences with which members of the transgender community are all too familiar. A person is deadnamed when they are called by their “birth name” or “given name” when they no longer use it.
Interactions on programs like BlackboardLearn can cause difficulties when students’ dead names are still used. Students may not feel comfortable with those names as they may not represent them anymore, especially if they’ve already begun their transition.
“The goal is to use an individual’s preferred first name in all systems and services that do not require use of the legal name,” the email stated. “This project was approved and prioritized by President Scott Green and the President’s Cabinet.”
UI’s initiative will roll out in phases, with the first phase prioritizing systems that most impact students, according to an email from UI Director of Human Resources Brandi Terwilliger and Registrar of the Office of the Registrar Lindsey Brown. A list of systems allowing preferred first names is available on the University of Idaho’s website.
While some services will continue to use legal names due to policy, including FAFSA, University Transcripts and Financial Award offer letters, other systems now support use of preferred first name.
As of Jan. 6, preferred first name is used in BlackboardLearn, Active Directory, Campus Directory, Microsoft 365 services and select VandalWeb pages. By July 30, preferred first name will be used in the Vandal Card Office, library system, VandalStar and more. Once a user sets their preferred first name in VandalWeb, that name will be used in these systems, according to the university.
“Additional systems will be integrated in the future to support use of preferred first name,” UI’s website states. “A list of those systems will be posted as they are identified.”
Students and employees and who previously provided a preferred name must set it in VandalWeb or it will be overridden when changes are implemented in the relevant systems. If a preferred first name is not set, an individual’s legal first name will be shown, according to the email.
Questions and suggestions are directed to [email protected].
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermotweets.