Preferred Name, Pronouns, and Gender Identity Policy

Earlham College promotes and strives to support an open and inclusive environment. As such, Earlham recognizes that faculty, staff, and students may choose to be identified with a name other than their legal name. Earlham will accommodate use of a preferred first name where possible. Additionally, Earlham will respect use of personal pronouns and gender identity. As long as the use of a preferred name is not intended for the purposes of avoiding legal obligations or misrepresentation, a preferred first name should be used wherever possible in the course of college business and education, except where the use of the legal name is necessitated by a legal requirement.

Choice of a preferred first name must be appropriate and cannot be an attempt at misrepresentation or fraud. The College reserves the right to remove a preferred name if it contains inappropriate or offensive language.

Updating Your Information

Earlham faculty, staff, and current students can update their Preferred Name, Personal Pronoun, and Gender Identity through Banner Self-Service.  Use the following instructions:

• Log into The Heart, https://theheart.earlham.edu/, using your Earlham ID
• Select Self-Service Log from the IT services section
• Select the Personal Information tab, then choose Bio/Demo Profile

Detailed instructions are available at this link.

Faculty and staff should also contact Human Resources.

Where Your information Will Appear 

Updated Preferred Name, Personal Pronoun, and Gender Identity will appear in the following:

• Faculty class lists and grade rosters
  • Campus directory
  • Moodle (learning management system)
  • Earlham ID card (first ID card change is free)
  • Athletic team rosters
  • Commencement program (optional)
  • email (optional)

Earlham College will continue to explore additional opportunities to incorporate preferred first names in other systems and will update this list as those opportunities are implemented.

Use of Legal Name

The legal name will be used when the College is legally required to use a legal name. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Transcripts
  • Enrollment verification forms
  • Financial aid documents
  • Tuition billing records
  • Payroll and tax documents
  • Visa/immigration documents

Changing Legal Name

Changes to a student’s legal last name can only be made in the Registrar’s office in person. Faculty and staff should contact Human Resources for change of legal name or legal sex change.

Students will need to submit the “Student Legal Information Change” form and provide both a government-issued photo ID with the new name (driver’s license, state ID or passport) and the name change document (i.e., court document reflecting the name change, marriage certificate, social security card, etc.). The form can be found on the Registrar’s website.

Legal Sex Change

Students who wish to change their legal sex with the college may do so by submitting the “Student Legal Information Change” form and bringing the required documentation to the Registrar’s office.

Required documentation includes a government-issued photo ID bearing the revised sex (driver’s license, state ID or passport) as well as the court order documenting the sex change or an amended birth certificate with the revised sex.

If you are unable to come to the Registrar’s Office in person, you must submit the “Student Legal Information Change” Form and certified/notarized copies of the accompanying documents.