A student committee will move forward with planning for a preferred name policy that would allow students who identify with a different name than their birth name to change it within the University of Wisconsin System.
Mia Akers, chair of Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee, said the policy would allow students to change their names on places like the Wiscard, Wiscmail, Learn@UW and class rosters received by professors.
“We want some system so students can be identified by the name they prefer to go by,” Akers said.
Akers said the committee is currently working on soliciting support from groups on campus to craft the policy and work with administrators to move forward with it.
Concern from trans-identified students spurred discussion for the policy, Akers said. She said some students can feel uncomfortable with professors “outing them” by calling them by their birth name.
Akers said international students, married and divorced people are also among those who have a hard time changing their names within the UW System.
“It is an impossible or a very hard process to change a name once it is in the system,” Akers said.
Akers said many other Big Ten universities have a preference name policy implemented in their respective institutions, stressing it is crucial for UW to step up to these levels.
The committee is collaborating with “key decision makers” like Dean of Students Lori Berquam, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Joanne Berg, Chief Information Officer Bruce Maas and others within UW who can effectively change the policy.
“I hope they [key decision makers] will see the need to this and how crucial it is that Madison takes a stance on student issues and addresses those issues in a proactive way,” Akers said.
Akers said the Diversity Committee has met with Gabriel Javier, assistant dean of students and director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center.
If this policy is approved, UW would be the first school to implement a policy like this in the UW System.
“It would be incredible to set this standard, and hopefully other schools would follow,” Akers said.
Britt Moes, vice chair of the ASM Diversity Committee, said overall UW as one of the top universities in the United States needs to work on this.
Moes said the Diversity Committee would love that something like this could apply to other UW System schools.
“Hopefully this would start a change across other UW campuses in addition to other schools nation-wide,” Moes said.
Moes said it is important that this is happening in a committee within ASM because the policy directly applies to students on campus. She said this policy will help to bring an understanding that UW is an all-inclusive campus that works for all students.
“No one is too little to have a voice,” she said. “Everyone does and it is heard.”
