Information Technology Policies and Guidelines at the University of Michigan

Frequently Asked Questions About Preferred Names

See also the Preferred Names Policy.

1. When was the policy implemented?
2. Can any member of the U-M community set a preferred name?
3. How do I set a preferred name?
4. Can I set my preferred name to whatever I want?
5. Can I use my preferred name for everything at the University?
6. When will preferred names show up in some of the larger, University-wide systems?
7. I set a preferred name in Wolverine Access, but it doesn't show up in the directory. Why not?
8. I set a preferred name and later changed it to something else in Wolverine Access. Why do the old names still show up in the list of Also Known As names in my directory entry?
9. I don't want my legal name to show up in my U-M Online Directory entry. How can I hide it?
10. How do I correct or change my legal name for University systems?
11. Who developed the Preferred Names Policy?
12. My question about preferred names is not in this list. Where can I get help?

1. When was the policy implemented?
   The policy goes into effect on April 25, 2007, when students of the Ann Arbor campus and employees of the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses gain the ability to set a preferred name using Wolverine Access. Use of preferred names in other University systems will be phased in over time.
2. Can any member of the U-M community set a preferred name?
   No. Because preferred names are set using Wolverine Access, only those who can use Wolverine Access can set preferred names for now. Students of the Ann Arbor campus and employees of the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses can set preferred names as of April 25, 2007. Alumni, emeritus faculty, Flint and Dearborn students, sponsored individuals, and others who cannot currently use Wolverine Access will be able to set preferred names at a later date when systems that accommodate this (M-Community) have been implemented.
3. How do I set a preferred name?
   Use Wolverine Access. Students can do this under Student Business, and faculty and staff can do it under Employee Business.
4. Can I set my preferred name to whatever I want?
   Yes, but the University reserves the right to remove a preferred name if it is used inappropriately (such as for misrepresentation).
5. Can I use my preferred name for everything at the University?
   No. Your legal name will continue to be used in business processes that require use of the legal name, such as for payroll records and student transcripts. Also, it is expected that it will take some time for the many University and departmental systems to incorporate the use of preferred names. The Office of the Provost has recommended that business offices review their use of names for their internal business processes and reporting. Offices that retrieve name data from M-Pathways systems should develop plans to begin using preferred names as soon as is reasonable by the end of the next academic year.
6. When will preferred names show up in some of the larger, University-wide systems?
   This varies by system. Here are some of the systems for which plans have been announced. If you have questions about a system not listed here, please contact the provider of that system.
   • U-M Online Directory. The directory has included preferred names since May 2, 2007. The directory receives weekly updates from the databases that store preferred names, so there may be a delay of up to a week from the time a preferred name is set in Wolverine Access to the time it appears in the directory.

   CTools. The preferred name is used on pages throughout CTools. (Note that the CTools names data is refreshed every 24 hours, so there may be a delay of up to a day from the time a preferred name is set using Wolverine Access to the time that name will appear in CTools.)

   • Active Directory. The Active Directory (U-M Forest) service managed by ITCS receives preferred name data from the U-M Online Directory. It is therefore able to use the preferred name data as displayed in the directory. This means that the ITCS Exchange Service can also use this data. (Note that there is a delay of up to a week from the time a preferred name is set using Wolverine Access to the time that name will appear in the directory and thus be available to Active Directory.)

     Occasionally, the formatting of names may not transfer correctly from the directory to Active Directory. If your name does not look right in Active Directory, contact your departmental system administrator for assistance.

   • Printed staff directory. Preferred names were provided for the staff directory beginning with the 2007-2008 issue.
   • Data Warehouse. The target date for incorporating preferred names into the Data Warehouse is June 2008.
7. I set a preferred name in Wolverine Access, but it doesn't show up in the directory. Why not?
   The U-M Online Directory receives updated data from the databases that Wolverine Access updates once a week (on Tuesdays). Therefore, depending on when you set a preferred name in Wolverine Access, there may be a delay of up to a week before that name appears in the directory.

8. I set a preferred name and later changed it to something else in Wolverine Access. Why do the old names still show up in the list of Also Known As names in my directory entry?
   When you set a preferred name in Wolverine Access, that name is added to your list of Also Known As names in your directory entry. There is no mechanism for automatically deleting these names. If you wish to have a name deleted from your list of Also Known As names, you can contact the ITCS Accounts Office (itcs.accounts@umich.edu or 764-8000, Option 3) to request this.
9. I don't want my legal name to show up in my U-M Online Directory entry. How can I hide it?
   Your legal name will continue to be displayed in the list of Also Known As names in your directory entry, even if you have set a preferrred name. Contact the ITCS Accounts Office (itcs.accounts@umich.edu or 764-8000, Option 3) to request that it be hidden. For now, this is a manual process that must be handled by the Accounts Office.
10. How do I correct or change my legal name for University systems?
    • Students can contact the Registrar's Office (ro.registration.questions@umich.edu or 647-3507).
    • Employees can file a legal name change by completing the Address/Personal Data Form available on the HRRIS Forms Online page or contact the HR/Payroll Service Center (615-2000 or toll-free at 1-866-647-7657).
11. Who developed the Preferred Names Policy?
    The Office of the Provost, Human Resources and Affirmative Action, and Michigan Administrative Information Services on the Ann Arbor campus led the effort to develop and implement a University-wide policy to enable students, faculty, staff, and alumni to use a preferred name instead of their legal name in various University information systems.
12. My question about preferred names is not in this list. Where can I get help?
    • Send questions about the preferred name policy to PreferredNameImplementation@umich.edu.
    • Send questions about the display of preferred names in the U-M Online Directory to the ITCS Accounts Office (itcs.accounts@umich.edu or 764-8000, Option 3).

Return to Information Technology Policies and Guidelines

For more information, please contact the IT User Advocate at abuse@umich.edu
Copyright © 2007 University of Michigan Regents.