Preferred First Name Project
Mines recognizes members of the campus community prefer to use a first name other than their legal name to identify themselves. Please review the information below to see frequently asked questions and instructions on how to set your set your preferred first name.
Can I set my Preferred Name to Anything?
Per the Mines Preferred First Name Policy, students and employees may determine and designate a preferred first name that they want to be known by in Mines’ systems. Mines reserves the right to remove a preferred first name if it contains inappropriate or obscene language, or if it is being used for misrepresentation. Inappropriate use of a preferred name will be referred to the Dean of Students or Human Resources, respectively.
Acceptable uses of preferred first names include:
- A middle name instead of first name
- An abbreviated name (Manny instead of Emmanuel, Dani instead of Danielle)
- An Americanized name (Wendy instead of Haiyan)
- A name to which you are in the process of legally changing
- A name that better represents your gender identity
How to Update your Preferred First Name and Personal Pronouns - Students
The following steps will guide you through the process. Student employees will also need to make sure that their information is update in Workday. Please see the How to Update Your Preferred First Name and Personal Pronouns – Employees section for detailed steps.
- Log onto Trailhead at https://experience.elluciancloud.com/minessis
- Locate the “Student Services” card
- Click on the “General Self-Service”
- Click on “Personal Information”
- Click click the “Edit” button on the top right of the “Personal Details” section
- Update Preferred First Name box
- Update Personal Pronoun by clicking the arrow to select from the list
- Click the blue Update button when finished
Please allow up to 72 hours for all systems to update any changes.
Note: The DegreeWorks system for Academic Advising currently does not update preferred names. Please directly contact your advisor to note your preferred name.
Additional Systems
Email and Username: Changing your email username and/or the name associated with your email is a different process. To facilitate this change, submit a ticket through ITS: https://helpcenter.mines.edu, click on “submit new ticket” button, select “email/calendar,” select email request, submit request button, and fill out the form.
BlasterCard: Please visit the BlasterCard office to obtain a BlasterCard with your preferred first name. There is no charge for a new card.
How to Update your Preferred First Name and Personal Pronouns - Employees
Employees, including student employees, will update their preferred name in Workday. Please note that preferred first names and pronouns updates are in different locations.
Preferred First Name
- Access your Workday account at: www.myworkday.com/mines
- Click the person icon in the top right corner
- Click “View Profile” under your name
- In the menu on the left side, click “Personal”
- Click “Names” from the horizontal menu
- In the Preferred Name section, click the “Edit” button
- If “Use Legal Name As Preferred Name” box is check, uncheck it
- Update your preferred first name
- Click Submit
Preferred Pronouns
- Access your Workday account at: www.myworkday.com/mines
- Click the person icon in the top right corner
- Click “View Profile” under your name
- In the menu on the left side, click “Personal”
- Click “Edit” within the Personal Information tab in the horizontal menu
- Scroll to the bottom of the list and click the pencil icon to edit your pronouns
- Click within the box and a dropdown will appear with different pronoun options
- Update your preferred pronouns
- Click Submit
Student Employees and Faculty may update may also update their preferred first name/pronouns in Trailhead:
- Log onto Trailhead at https://experience.elluciancloud.com/minessis
- Locate the “Student Services” card
- Click on the “General Self-Service”
- Click on “Personal Information”
- Click click the “Edit” button on the top right of the “Personal Details” section
- Update Preferred First Name box
- Update Personal Pronoun by clicking the arrow to select from the list
- Click the blue Update button when finished
Please allow up to 72 hours for all systems to update any changes.
Additional Systems
Email and Username: Changing your email username and/or the name associated with your email is a different process. To facilitate this change, submit a ticket through ITS: https://helpcenter.mines.edu, click on “submit new ticket” button, select “email/calendar,” select email request, submit request button, and fill out the form.
BlasterCard: Please visit the BlasterCard office to obtain a BlasterCard with your preferred first name. There is no charge for a new card.
My Preferred First Name Change isn't reflecting in Canvas, etc.
If after 72 hours you see that your preferred name request has not updated in certain systems including Canvas and Google, please open a ticket with ITS through the Mines Help Center: https://helpcenter.mines.edu.
Systems
The following systems are derivative systems of Banner (they receive regular pushes of information from Banner or the Operational Date Store) and have been coded to receive preferred first name:
- AIM (Disability Support Services Portal)
- Alma (Library Services Platform)
- Academic Works (Scholarship Management Platform)
- BEACON (Academic Advising)
- Bright Horizons (Employee Benefits System)
- Canvas
- Chrome River (Travel/Procurement System)
- Convercent (Conflict of Interest Tracking)
- Directory (Online and Printable)
- FAMIS (Work Order Tracking)
- Fusion (Recreation Center System)
- Heartland (Meal Plan Tracking)
- Okta
- PageUp (Applicant Tracking)
- Skillsoft (Ongoing Learning Platform)
- StarRez (Housing)
- T2 (Parking Permit Portal)
- Team Dynamix (Ticket System for ITS, MAPS)
- TerraDotta (International Student Services and Study Abroad Management Platform)
- Trailhead
- University Tickets (Campus and Athletic Events)
Please note that due to constant platform changes, this list may not include all system or may list outdated systems. We are working with ITS to have a comprehensive list of current systems.
My Preferred first Name request has been denied. What should I do?
If your request to change your name falls within the standards of the Preferred First Name Policy and you are denied the change, please reach out to the Office for Institutional Equity at oie@mines.edu with details of the request and we will investigate the issue.
Feedback
We welcome feedback about how a system displays your preferred first name or your personal pronouns. To submit feedback, please send an email to OIE@mines.edu and include screenshots as well as your concerns. The Office for Institutional Equity will work with ITS to provide the feedback and navigate a resolution and response.
A preferred name will not appear in the following locations, where legal name is required:
- Billing Statements
- Enrollment Verification
- Employment Verifications
- Employment Documentation
- Financial Aid Documents
- Medical Documents
- Official Correspondence with External Entities (Security Clearances)
- Official and Unofficial Transcripts
- Paychecks/W2/1099T
- Immigration Paperwork
- Court Orders
- Student Record Subpoenas
Also, please note that not every system we use at Mines receives information from Banner. If a system does not receive information from Banner, it will not receive any updates made to one’s preferred name or personal pronouns in Trailhead. Such updates would need to be made by a system administrator in the relevant department.