CSU Webinar: Students' Preferred* Names and Pronouns: Class Rosters That Promote Belonging and Inclusion

As part of its commitment to inclusive excellence, the California State University (CSU) has reconfigured the student information system to allow students to indicate their preferred* names and pronouns. When campuses enable this functionality, students’ preferences* will appear on class rosters and other campus records.

In this live webcast, Luoluo Hong, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, and Darlene Daclan, Director of Academic and Student Affairs Business Systems, will discuss the importance of promoting gender inclusion as a policy imperative and, more importantly, as an educational responsibility. Participants will learn the process by which students can indicate a preferred* name and pronouns in the student information system and see how faculty views of student information will change. Then they will learn how using preferred* names and gender pronouns creates an inclusive learning environment and instills a sense of belonging in students.

*We at the Center for Teaching & Learning acknowledge that the use of the word "preferred" or "preference" in this context has begun falling out of favor by members of trans, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming communities. While we absolutely endorse the institutional practice of creating opportunities for people to have their lived name used in University databases whenever legally possible, the term "preferred name" can problematically imply that trans individuals are not using their "real" names and pronouns, in addition to potentially framing their names and pronouns as easily ignorable personal "preferences" rather than their actual lived reality that deserves to be respected. At the end of this presentation we'll create opportunities for discussing alternative language.