FOR ADVISORS' INFORMATION: University of Illinois will allow students to set a Preferred First Name beginning July 24, 2016

Posted on June 17, 2016

The Office of the Registrar would like to inform you that the all campuses of the University of Illinois will enable students to use a Preferred First Name if they choose. Students will be able to enter a Preferred First Name, update an existing Preferred First Name or delete an existing Preferred First Name through Banner self-service via the my.UIC.edu portal.

The goal is to allow students to be known on the three campuses by a name other than their legal first name, if they desire.  This will benefit the transgender community, the international community, and other students who go by a name other than their legal first name.  If a student has selected a Preferred First Name, faculty will not see the student’s legal first name in Faculty Self-Service rosters or related learning management systems.

The Preferred First Name will be stored in spbpers_pref_first_name (this is the Preferred First Name field on SPAIDEN).

To assist with searching for a student by a Preferred First Name, a batch job that runs several times throughout the day will create an inactive ‘PREF’ name type record with the Preferred First Name, the legal last name and no middle name.

Where will the Preferred First Name Display?

  1. Banner Forms
  • The Preferred First Name will be in parentheses at the end of the legal name in the keyblock of some Banner forms. (SPAIDEN, SRARECR, SAAADMS, SGASTDN, SFAREGS, and SHADEGR)
  1. Banner Self-Service
  • Students will see both their legal name and their Preferred First Name in parentheses throughout Student Self-Service.  Students will only see their legal name on the Graduation Information page.
  • Faculty should only see a student’s Preferred First Name if they have selected one, otherwise the legal first name.
  • Advisors will see a student’s Preferred First Name most of the time, but if they drill into student data, such as transcripts, they will see both the Preferred First Name and the legal first name.
  1. Class Roster (SFRSLST)
    • The class roster will display the Preferred First Name if the student has selected one, otherwise the legal first name.

Changes outside of Banner

  1. Learning Management Systems (for example: Blackboard, Compass and Moodle)
    • The Preferred First Name if the student has selected one will be displayed, otherwise the legal first name.
  2. Online directories/phonebooks
    • UIUC and UIC will display the Preferred First Name in the online directory for students who have selected one, otherwise the legal first name.  UIS does not have a student online directory.
  3. I-card (targeted for implementation in October of 2017)
  • The front of the I-card will show the student’s Preferred First Name and legal last name, if one is chosen.  The backside of the I-card will display the full legal name in a smaller font.