System Procedure 1B.1.2 Preferred Name
System Procedures
Chapter 1B - Equal Education and Employment Opportunity
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Part 1. Purpose.
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities recognizes and supports the members of its community who wish to use preferred names where legally permissible. This procedure outlines a process by which individuals in the system may designate a preferred name to be used in the course of system business and education.Part 2. Definitions.
Preferred Name: A preferred name is a name that a person has chosen to identify themself within the MnSCU system that is different, in whole or in part, from their legal name.
Part 3. College, University, or System Office Action
Each college, university, and the system office shall adopt, maintain, and disseminate a procedure for individual employees, students, and alumni, where applicable, to choose a preferred name that will be used for identification within the system except where a legal name is required by system business or legal needs, or where technical constraints exist. Where a preferred name is used, the legal name should not be displayed in the same field.
Requests for use of a preferred name must be submitted in writing to the designated campus or system official; identification may be requested for security purposes. Campus registrars shall be responsible for handling preferred name requests from students and alumni; human resources offices shall be responsible for handling preferred name requests from employees.
Part 4. Designating a Preferred Name
An individual shall generally be permitted to designate any preferred name, including first, middle and/or last name. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities reserves the right to deny an inappropriate preferred name including, but not limited to, those that: avoid legal obligations, misrepresent, or violate other system policies, etc. Preferred names may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes and thus may not be a company name, group name, or message.
Colleges, universities, and the system office shall use preferred names for e-mail address, online directory, class rosters, and other functions where technically and legally possible.
Legal names shall be used by default in all cases except where specifically identified in the preferred name list. This list shall be periodically reviewed and updated as necessary to achieve the overall goal of this Procedure, which is to provide for the use of “preferred names where legally permissible.”
Part 5. Implementation
The system office information technology division will be responsible for implementing the use of preferred names within ISRS. Each college and university is responsible for implementing the display of preferred names in their local applications. Implementation of preferred names shall be phased in over time as technical resources are available.
Each college, university, and the system office shall be responsible for disseminating information about this procedure to its community members. Information about this procedure shall be included in new student and employee orientation.
The system office shall develop template forms for use by individuals who wish to request a preferred name.
Related Documents:
- Board Policy 1B.1 Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Employment and Education
System Procedure History:
Date of Adoption: 07/28/15
Date of Implementation: 07/28/15
Date of Last Review:
Date & Subject of Amendments:
No additional HISTORY.
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