Preferred name available for Wiscard

Students attending Student Orientation, Advising and Registration sessions at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this summer have an opportunity to select a preferred name to be printed on their Wiscard, the official university identification card.

A preferred name should be entered at least one business day prior to when a student plans to get their Wiscard. For students, a preferred name can be set by going to My UW and selecting the “Student Services” tab. From there, look for Student Personal Information. You may indicate your preferred name by clicking “Change.” For further instructions, visit the Student Personal Information KB document.

The university, launching a preferred name policy in August 2013, recognizes that as a community, many of its members use names other than their legal names to identify themselves.

During the past year, more than 2,500 students, staff and faculty have opted to update contact information with their preferred first and/or middle names.

The preferred name project and policy development has been a collaborative effort led by the Division of Student Life, the Division of Information Technology and the Office of the Registrar.

“The preferred name has really taken off here,” says Gabe Javier, assistant dean of students and director of the LGBT Campus Center in the Division of Student Life, indicating that being able to have a name that an individual prefers appear on everything, except for legal documents, just makes good sense and benefits our students, staff and faculty and communities.

The card gives students access to libraries, recreation facilities and other campus services, as well as allows them to make purchases at more than 50 locations across campus.