Student Government passed a resolution last week with overwhelming support to provide a “preferred name option” to official University records for students who wish to go by a different name than their legal name.
The resolution, if implemented by University administration, would allow transgender students, international students and any other students who prefer a name other than their legal names to be recognized accordingly in official University records.
UCFY Senator Robert Lancon said the resolution addresses the important issue of students being recognized by the name they prefer to go by instead of the legal name automatically applied to them through their official academic profile when they first come to the University.
Spectrum Panel Coordinator Michael Beyer said the resolution passed with a 98 percent approval rating and the amount of support behind the resolution is encouraging for it to be implemented and binding.
Lancon and Beyer agreed the resolution is primarily to avoid the uncomfortable or sometimes even hostile situations that can develop in a classroom setting by being recognized by a legal name.
Beyer said there have been situations where students were forced to out themselves in a University classroom because they had to correct their professor when their names are called. For transgender students on campus, a student’s legal name, passed through their academic profile, may not be the name they prefer to go by and may be associated with a different gender, causing uncomfortable situations, he said.
This situation also applies to international students who choose to go by a different name than their legal name, and this resolution would help combat a lot of common confusion, Beyer said.
As a resolution, it is not binding but reflects the views and support of the student population as represented through SG, Lancon said. But with such a high percentage of approval, the chances of the resolution being recognized by University administration is very high, he said.
Lancon said the resolution is directed toward LSU Information Technology Services and the Office of the University Registrar to provide the option on Moodle rosters and profiles.
Lancon said the “preferred name option” for students has already been implemented into the registrar at several universities including Vanderbilt University, the University of California, Berkeley, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Micah Caswell, graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and coordinator of the LGBTQ Project and the Safe Space Campaign, said though the resolution is not binding, it is exciting to see further backing for the LGBT population on campus.
“Student Government is becoming known for passing things that are good for LGBT students,” Caswell said. “It’s good to see that [SG] support is continuing, and I hope that continues into next year.”
“Student Government is becoming known for passing things that are good for LGBT students,” Caswell said. “It’s good to see that [SG] support is continuing and I hope that continues into next year.”