Date Effective: June 18, 2018
Updated: April 24, 2023

Purpose:

The University recognizes that many members of its community use names other than their legal names. For some students and employees, a chosen or preferred name may be an important component of their identity. Therefore, the University has established this policy which allows students and employees to indicate their preferred/chosen names to the University community even if they have not changed their legal names.

Definitions:

Preferred/chosen name

A preferred/chosen name is an alternative to the individual’s legal name as designated by the individual in University systems. A preferred/chosen name can include first, middle and/or last name. A preferred/chosen name may include:

  • a middle name or nickname instead of a first name;
  • an anglicized name;
  • a preferred/chosen name that is used in place of a legal name;
  • a name to which the individual is in the process of legally changing; or
  • a name that better represents the individual’s gender identity.

Legal name

A person’s legal name is the name they use for official government documents, such as licenses, passports, and tax forms. Any change to the legal name must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.

Policy:

A student or employee may request that their preferred/chosen name be used instead of the person’s legal name in select University-related systems and documents as listed below.

An indicated preferred/chosen names will be used in the following systems and records:

  • Class and grade rosters (for students and employees taking courses)
  • Student or Employee Identification Cards*
  • Learning Management System (such as Brightspace/D2L)
  • Degree Progress Reports
  • Student Conduct Records (Maxient)
  • Online Phonebook Directory**
  • Official Student Email Display Name
  • Official Employee Email Display Name
  • Directory information**
  • MaineStreet Advising Center
  • MaineStreet Student Services Center
  • MaineStreet Employee Self-Service Center
  • EAB Navigate
  • Student Health Records (internal and external)***
  • Reports and/or lists generated for academic purposes
  • Responses to requests made under the Maine Freedom of Access Act
  • Press Releases (i.e., Dean’s List)
  • Employee business cards
  • Social Media Sites
  • Other Venues, as appropriate

Because the use of legal name is necessary for certain records and communication, both the legal name and preferred/chosen name are stored within University systems. Any request to change a legal name within the University systems must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.

Legal Names still appear in MaineStreet records and will be visible to many employees who can only search by legal name and not preferred/chosen name (this may change in future MaineStreet updates). Employees are reminded to maintain the privacy of students, and to use preferred/chosen names in communication when the use of those names is in alignment with the Name Usage Policy.

Legal/primary names will continue to be used for certain official University records including, but not limited to the following:

  • Legal Documents and Reports Produced by the University (e.g.,, enrollment reports to the National Student Clearinghouse, enrollment lists for student insurance)
  • Applications for admission
  • Student Account Statement (Bills)
  • Financial Aid, Scholarship and Loan Documents
  • Student Health Insurance documents, Employee Health Insurance documents
  • Transcripts (Official and unofficial)
  • Enrollment Verifications
  • Degree Verifications
  • Employment Documents including student employee documents
  • Responses to requests from military recruiters made under the Solomon Amendment
  • Employment Verifications
  • Paychecks, W2s, and other payroll documents
  • Benefits Enrollment
  • IRS, SSA, and other state and federal reporting requirements
  • Visa records (for international students)

Graduating students have the option of specifying the name they wish to be used on their diploma and in the Commencement Program when completing the Application for Graduation.

Official communications that require the use of the legal/primary name shall use that name; other communications will use the preferred/chosen name.

Preferred/chosen name change requests may be denied or revoked by the University when the preferred/chosen name is used to avoid a legal obligation, commit fraud, misrepresent, or otherwise violate University policy or law. Reports of such activity will be handled pursuant to University policies and procedures and applicable law. Depending on the individual and circumstances involved, this could include the offices of Human Resources, Equal Opportunity, General Counsel, the Student Conduct Officer, the Chief Academic Affairs Officer, and/or appropriate law enforcement agencies.

*A one-time waiver of the fee to update the Student or Employee Identification Card with the preferred/chosen name will be provided. Subsequent changes will result in an applicable fee.

** “Directory information” is certain demographic information the University sometimes releases to third parties upon request. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, students can request that their directory information not be released to the public. Students must do this through Self Service within MaineStreet or by submitting a “Request to Suppress Directory Information” form to the Registrar’s/Student Records Office. The request will be honored until such time as the student requests otherwise in writing. In the event that such written notification (or indication within Student Self Service) is not filed, the University assumes that the student does not object to the release of directory information. Employees may request to restrict the listing of their (legal or preferred) names in the online employee directory by contacting their campus office of Human Resources. Approvals will be made on a case-by-case basis. More information about “directory information” and FERPA can be found on institutional websites (located under Student Records).

***Certain required reporting of healthcare data, such as to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), requires the use of legal name.

If there are questions about this policy, contact the UMS Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Credential Attainment or the UMS Director of EO.

Frequently Asked Questions

In general, preferred/chosen names will be used in the following systems:

  • Class and grade rosters (for students and employees taking courses)
  • Student or Employee Identification Cards*
  • Learning Management System (such as Brightspace/D2L)
  • Degree Progress Reports
  • Student Conduct Records (Maxient)
  • Online Phonebook Directory**
  • Official Student or Employee Email Display Name
  • Directory information**
  • MaineStreet Advising Center
  • MaineStreet Student Services Center
  • MaineStreet Employee Self-Service Center
  • EAB Navigate
  • Student Health Records (internal and external)
  • Reports and/or lists generated for academic purposes
  • Responses to requests made under the Maine Freedom of Access Act
  • Press Releases (i.e., Dean’s List)
  • Employee business cards
  • Social Media Sites
  • Other Venues as appropriate.

Because the use of legal name is necessary for certain records and communication, both the legal name and preferred/chosen name are stored with the MaineStreet student information system as well as any other appropriate systems.

Legal/primary names will continue to be used for certain official University records including, but not limited to the following:

  • Legal Documents and Reports Produced by the University (e.g., enrollment reports to the National Student Clearinghouse, enrollment lists for student insurance)
  • Applications for admission
  • Student Account Statement (Bills)
  • Financial Aid, Scholarship and Loan Documents
  • Student Health Insurance documents, Employee Health Insurance documents
  • Transcripts (Official and unofficial)
  • Enrollment Verifications
  • Degree Verifications
  • Employment Documents including student employee documents
  • Responses to requests from military recruiters made under the Solomon Amendment
  • Employment Verifications
  • Paychecks, W2s, and other payroll documents
  • Benefits Enrollment
  • IRS, SSA, and other state and federal reporting requirements
  • Visa records (for international students)

When applying for graduation, students have the option of indicating how they want their name to appear on diplomas and in the Commencement Programs.

Legal Names still appear in MaineStreet records and will be visible to many employees who can only search by legal name and not preferred/chosen name (this may change in future MaineStreet updates). Employees are reminded to maintain the privacy of students, and to use preferred/chosen names in communication when the use of those names is in alignment with the Name Usage Policy. .

Email Display will update to display your preferred name once the system syncs, but changes to the email address require you to take additional actions, see details below.

 *“Directory information” is certain demographic information the University sometimes releases to third parties upon request. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, students can request that their directory information not be released to the public. Students must do this through Self Service within MaineStreet or by submitting a “Request to Suppress Directory Information” form to the Registrar’s/Student Records Office. The request will be honored until such time as the student requests otherwise in writing. In the event that such written notification (or indication within Student Self Service) is not filed, the University assumes that the student does not object to the release of directory information. Employees may request to restrict the listing of their (legal or preferred) names in the online employee directory by contacting their campus office of Human Resources. Approvals will be made on a case-by-case basis. More information about “directory information” and FERPA can be found on institutional websites (located under Student Records).

Preferred/chosen names are updated first and foremost in MaineStreet. This will then feed to some other systems (Brightspace), but other systems will require some additional actions.

Students: To enter a preferred/chosen name in MaineStreet:

  • Go to https://mycampus.maine.edu
  • Navigate to your Student Center icon in the Launchpad.
  • Tap or click on Profile > Biographical Information

Select the link labeled “Demographic Data” under “Personal Information.”

  • Select the “Names” tab.
  • Tap or click on the green pencil icon “Edit” button.
  • Add or change your preferred/chosen name and tap or click on Save.

Employees: To enter a preferred/chosen name in MaineStreet:

  • Employees will contact their HR Partner or HR Director to request the preferred/chosen name change.
  • HR submits the Individual Data Sheet change form with information to Payroll
  • HR advises employee to visit http://accounts.maine.edu to change their email account information.

Note: If you are a student AND an employee, you will need to enter your preferred/chosen name in both the Student Information System and the HR system.

You will need to request a reprint of your ID card with your preferred/chosen name on it. After updating your preferred/chosen name in MaineStreet, please allow 24 hours for the Campus Card Systems to update. You may then request a reprint of your ID card with your preferred/chosen name by visiting the Campus Card Office location on your campus.  This first replacement fee will be waived, all other replacements will be charged the applicable fee.

Once your preferred/chosen name has been updated, this information will show up in the Brightspace system when it automatically syncs (which happens roughly every 20 minutes). Note that if you have any sort of presence in the MaineStreet Human Resources (HR) system, even as a student employee, your name will need to be updated in the HR system before these changes will be reflected in Brightspace.

Once your preferred/chosen name has been updated in MaineStreet, and once the system has synced (which typically happens once each business day), navigate to accounts.maine.edu and use the self-service option to change your UMS ID. Once the system sync has occurred, your preferred/chosen name will be an available option to select for the new ID.

Once your email address is changed, emails sent to the old address will forward to the new address for six months.  Also, changing your email address may impact systems connected to your email address such as Zoom or Kaltura. Upon request, UMS IT can migrate meetings and other saved content from these systems to your updated account. Please contact the IT Help Desk at help@maine.edu to submit a request.

It is important to remember that Gmail and other email platforms may retain contact information that does not update automatically. You may need to request that people you correspond with update their contacts.

You can add your preferred/chosen name under your profile within the PointNClick portal. It will show your preferred/chosen name but it will not override your legal name within the administrative side (any CDC reporting would require legal name).

On most campuses, students can apply for housing using their preferred/chosen name, but some Housing or Residence Life systems pull data from the Legal Name field in MaineStreet. Please check in with your campus housing office for specifics.

Once a name has been legally changed, please reach out to the University Registrar/Student Records (for students) or Human Resources (for employees) to update your records. You will need to provide official documentation of the change.

We are currently exploring ways to do this within our databases, Stay tuned!

We are currently exploring ways to do this in our database. Stay tuned!

If you are a student, contact your university Registrar/Student Records office. If you are an employee or a student employee, contact Human Resources at umshr@maine.edu.