Episode 08: Chosen Name

For the Record, An AACRAO Podcast

The registrar plays many roles on campus. One of those roles is to advocate for the appropriate representation of a diverse student body and to create an inclusive learning environment where everyone feels comfortable engaging. In this episode, we hear about two institutions’ initiatives to enable students to use a chosen name, declare a gender identity, and select pronouns.
Guests:
Nicole Kragt, College Registrar at Kalamazoo College
Stacey Tidball, Director, Continuity & Compliance | Academic Support Resources
Key Takeaways:
The registrar’s influence on student-facing systems gives a unique ability to advocate for more inclusive practices when recording students’ names and pronouns; enabling students to use a chosen name creates a more inclusive environment for a broad set of students who may not want to use their legal name for a variety of reasons; engagement with students and affected stakeholders early and often during an implementation of chosen name is critical to the success of that initiative.
References and Additional Reading:
Data from the SERU survey
GLAAD Media Reference Guide
National Center for Transgender Equality
C&U issue 93 v2 article on Complexities of Supporting Transgender Students' Use of Self-Identified First Names and Pronouns by Dot Brauer
C&U Vol 94 no 1: Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Community Success in Higher Education by Ewa Nowicki
UMN – Twin Cities Pronouns and Gender Identity (alpha order for both):
Pronouns:
Enter your own
He/him/his
None (name only)
Prefer not to specify
She/her/hers
They/Them/Theirs
Ze/Zir/Zirs
Gender Identity
Agender
Enter your own
Gender non-conforming
Genderqueer
Man
Non-binary
Prefer not to specify
Two Spirit
Woman