Campus Community Can Now Use MySlice to Designate Preferred Name

Members of the Syracuse University community can now designate their preferred or chosen name on MySlice to indicate to others how they would like to be addressed.

The new policy assists people who use a name other than an official legal name to self-identify.

Preferred or chosen names—once entered in MySlice—will appear in MySlice class and grade rosters, as well as in all places a name is used in the Blackboard Learning Management System. Preferred or chosen names will also appear in email display names in SU Mail for students and Exchange for faculty and staff.

The function on MySlice, which launched Jan. 3, can be found using the View/Update Names page link found in the Personal Services section.

Under the new policy, a preferred or chosen name will not be shown on other types of records, such as all official correspondence and financial aid, due to operational and legal reasons. The University has the right to remove any preferred name due to misuse or abuse.

Members of the University community are encouraged to indicate to others how they would like to be addressed. Class rosters are updated frequently to allow faculty members to be aware of any changes in name preference.

This new policy is the start of a larger effort to create more options for personal identity management. The University will make further announcements as more places to use a preferred name are added to University systems.

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Sam Scozzafava Jr. is the policy administrator.

This new University policy is the result of student advocacy; concerns and suggestions to the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion; the work of the units involved in the planning, including Information Technology Services, LGBT Resource Center, Office of Registrar and Office of Human Resources; and the help and support of various campus community members.

For more information, read about the new policy here and visit a list of FAQs on the new policy. Anyone with questions or suggestions about the policy is invited to send them to PreferredNamePolicy@syr.edu.