Update Your Legal Name, Preferred Name, Gender Identity, or Personal Pronoun

Berklee endeavors to educate community members about used names and pronouns as fully as possible, and it is expected that all members of the Berklee community will respect the used names and pronouns of others. Continued use of a person's non-used personal pronouns after notice of used personal pronouns may constitute a violation of policy.

Furthermore, while Berklee makes every effort to make requested name or pronoun changes in all appropriate places and in a timely manner, there may be instances where the change is missed or does not integrate into certain systems. To address questions about updating your name, gender, or pronouns in Berklee systems: students may contact the Office of the Registrar, and faculty and staff may contact Human Resources.

In this policy, you will find the following information:

Legal name change guidance
How to update your preferred name, gender identity, and personal pronouns
What is a preferred (used) name?
Where will my preferred name (if submitted) and my legal name be used?
What is a personal pronoun?

Legal Name Change Guidance

A legal name is the name that appears on legal documents like birth certificates, passports, US Social Security card, and driver’s license. It will be used by Berklee for student financial aid, official transcripts, account information, enrollment status verification, and for employee payroll and health benefits. This name should be used when completing forms for the university.

Please allow three to five weeks for the updates to be reflected across Berklee systems.

How to Update Your Legal Name

You can use the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition guide to help you navigate the legal name change process. This guide also includes information on how to update your gender marker on legal documentation.

Students and Alumni

Current and former students and alumni who wish to change their legal name with Berklee once they have done so through the court can submit the Legal Name Change form to the Registrar. This form can also be used to update your preferred name, gender identity and personal pronouns, if appropriate. See below for more information about these topics.

With the form, you will need to submit appropriate legal documentation including one of the following:

Court Order
Passport

Faculty and Staff

Current faculty and staff who wish to change their legal name with Berklee once they have done so through the court can update their legal name through Workday (use the Modify Personal Information task). This task can also be used to update your preferred name, gender identity and personal pronouns, if appropriate. See below for more information about these topics or ask your HR representative.

Please note, you will need to submit appropriate legal documentation including one of the following:

Court Order
Passport

Preferred (Used) Names, Gender Identity, and Personal Pronouns

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni have the ability to inform the institution of their preferred (used) name, gender identity, and personal pronoun. Every person has the right to be addressed by the name, gender identity, and pronoun that is appropriate for their identity. These important preferences can differ from legal and permanent records. This policy articulates the purpose of this resource, how it works, and in what context preferred identifiers can and cannot be used.

No student, staff, or faculty member is required to submit a preferred (used) name. If a preferred name is not submitted, then the legal name will be used by default.

The use of the term “Preferred Name” is due to system constraints. We recognize that “Used Name” is more accurate and affirming for many individuals.

Preferred names that are not administratively possible to implement, including, without limitation, symbols or images, are prohibited. The College reserves the right to remove any Preferred name without prior notice to the individual due to misuse or abuse of this policy, including, but not limited to, misrepresentation, attempting to avoid legal obligations, or the use of highly offensive or derogatory names.

Faculty can also access a training guide that outlines how the preferred name policy impacts what they'll see in my.berklee.edu and on ol.berklee.edu.

Please allow three to five weeks for the updates to be reflected across Berklee systems.

How to Update Your Preferred Name, Gender Identity, and Personal Pronouns

Students and Alumni

This form is for current and former students and alumni who need to update their student record with a different preferred name, gender, and/or pronoun(s) from what currently exists in Berklee systems.

Please allow three to five weeks for the updates to be reflected across Berklee systems. Submit your update.

Faculty and Staff

You can update your preferred name, gender identity, and personal pronouns through Workday (use the Modify Personal Information task).

Please note: Pronouns will be visible in your Workday profile and in downstream systems like Colleague or Canvas. Gender identity will be used for statistical purposes only.

What is a preferred (used) name?

A student, faculty, or staff member may wish to go by a name that they use over their legal name. In general, it is inappropriate to ask for "preferred" names or pronouns as this language indicates that the names and pronouns someone uses are optional and that the request is also optional. Calling someone by the name and pronoun they use is not optional. Names used can be a middle name, nickname, or any other choice that will differ from the name they were assigned at birth and legally have documented. In addition, inappropriate use of the used name policy (e.g., to avoid legal obligation or to impersonate another) may be cause for denying the request.

Where will my preferred name (if submitted) and my legal name be used?

If a preferred name is not submitted, then the legal name will be used by default.

Students

If a student chooses to submit a preferred name, it will appear in, but may not be limited to, the following:

Class rosters
Academic records and reports: grade reports and unofficial transcripts for internal use
Campus directory (unless a student has chosen FERPA exclusion)
Advisee lists and housing reports
Email display (used name only)
Berklee Card (your student ID): once you have been notified that your name change has been processed, your card will be reprinted
Berklee Connect
Workday student employment profile

Regardless of the preferred name being submitted, the legal name (unless legally changed through the courts) will appear in, but not be limited to, the following for students:

Financial aid
Official transcripts
Student account information
Enrollment status verification
Payroll

Faculty and Staff

If a staff or faculty member chooses to submit a preferred name, it may be used in, but not limited to, the following:

Campus directory
Email display
Employee ID
Workday employment profile

Regardless of the preferred name being submitted, the legal name (unless legally changed through the courts) will appear in, but not be limited to, the following for staff and faculty:

Benefits
Employee verification
Payroll

Please note that for students, faculty, and staff, there are certain limitations that prevent us from updating preexisting Google Contacts. Your Google display name will always reflect your preferred name; however, if a contact record has already been created for you in the contact list of a third party, that original name will stay intact until manually updated by the account user. In those cases, the best solution for you to reach out to your contacts and request that they update the contact card for you in their Google Contacts.

What is a personal pronoun?

A personal pronoun is used when talking about a specific person. We recognize that there are numerous gender identities and personal pronouns that people use.

A student, staff, or faculty member may report a personal prounoun as one way of informing others about their gender identity. Personal pronouns are used in order to respect the way people identify and to avoid making assumptions about peoples' identities.

Additionally, Berklee recognizes that gender identity exists in a world of markers and expressions. While we are required to collect information on legal sex (during the time of admission and enrollment or hiring, and as indicated by female or male), a student, staff, or faculty member has the option to submit information on their gender identity.

No student, staff, or faculty member is required to submit a personal pronoun. If a personal pronoun is not submitted, then this field will be left blank.

For students, personal pronoun and gender identity information will appear in, but may not be limited to, advisee lists and housing reports.

For staff and faculty, personal pronouns and gender identity information will not be immediately used or distributed in the same manner as it will for students. Unless a faculty or staff member instructs Human Resources to share this data with a manager or other designated person(s), this information will be kept private.

The following are examples of gender identities that may be submitted:

Non-binary
Agender
Genderfluid
Cisgender Man
Cisgender Woman
Transgender Man
Transgender Woman
Genderqueer

The following are examples of personal pronouns that may be submitted:

She, Her, Hers
He, Him, His
Ze, Hir, Hirs
They, Them, Their
He, They
She, They
He, She, They

Berklee reserves the right to amend, suspend, or cancel this policy at any time, with or without notice. In the event that a conflict exists between this policy and the terms and conditions of the Berklee faculty union contract agreement, the union contract agreement will supersede this policy.