Instructions for updating your chosen name and nickname.
Overview
MHC allows community members to share a chosen name in place of a legal first name, and a nickname in addition to a first name. For details, visit MHC's Chosen Name Policy.
Update your chosen name and nickname in my.mtholyoke
- Log in to my.mtholyoke
- Students: Go to the Self-Service Menu and select Demographics & Contact Info and then MyProfile
- Employees: Go to the Self-Service Menu and select Employee Profile and then MyProfile
- Choose Edit Personal Identity
- Provide a chosen name and/or nickname, as applicable.
- Note that your chosen name will replace only your legal first name where chosen names display, not your last name / family name.
- Choose Save
Please note that changes may take up to 24 hours to make their way to other campus systems. Anecdotal reports also indicate that providing both a chosen name and a nickname simultaneously may result in no change occurring.
FAQs
What is the difference between a "chosen name" and a "nickname" at MHC?
- Chosen names replace legal first names where legal first names are not required.
- Nicknames will display in parentheses alongside your legal or chosen first name in certain systems.
Where will my chosen name display?
The following locations are places where chosen names will display:
-
Campus Directories (students: internal directory; faculty/staff: internal and external directory)
-
Gmail and GSuite services profile name (email address does not change)
-
The MHC Moodle site (Five College Moodle sites may not reflect chosen name changes)
-
my.mtholyoke
-
OneCard
-
Pathways
-
Various other systems (LinkedIn learning, the AskLITS portal etc.)
Chosen name changes
aren't automatically reflected in your
InterLibrary Loan account or
Embark. However, you can log in and update it yourself in either of those systems independently at any time.
Where will my nickname display?
Nicknames will display in parentheses alongside your legal or chosen first name on faculty's course rosters
Why is my last name / family name showing up twice?
The chosen name field is displayed in many places in front of the last/family name field. So if you enter your full name into the chosen name field, you'll see your last name / family name display twice in some places.
To fix this, remove your last/family name from the chosen name field in my.mtholyoke. It can take up to 24 hours for changes to be reflected.
What do I do if I find that my display name in Google hasn't changed?
Updating your chosen name in my.mtholyoke should update your display name in Google. If you are finding that this isn't happening, or isn't happening fast enough for your liking, you can also update your Google display name manually.
Please note that while Google's instructions mention the option of creating a new email address, members of organizational email domains like MHC do not have access to that option.