Instructions for updating your chosen name and nickname in MHC systems.
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 policy details, visit MHC's Chosen Name Policy.
MHC has over a hundred systems that use and display community members’ names. To simplify the process of updating your chosen name and nickname across these systems, MHC provides users a way to enter them in a centralized location.
Once entered, new chosen names and nicknames will automatically make their way to other campus systems to be used where legal names are not required by law or other regulation. Due to technical constraints not all systems have been able to be connected to receive chosen names in this way.
We want you to be able to share your chosen name and nickname with confidence, so this article explains how to update your chosen name and nickname, where you can expect to see these names show up once they’ve been entered, where other arrangements have been made to accommodate them, and answers to other frequently asked questions.
In this article
How to update your chosen name and nickname
FAQs
How to update your chosen name and nickname
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.
Student instructions
- Log in to my.mtholyoke
- Go to the Self-Service Menu and select Demographics & Contact Info 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
Faculty/staff instructions
Follow these instructions to update your chosen name in Workday. Workday is not currently using the Nickname field.
Alum instructions
Alums who are also current MHC students or faculty/staff should follow the instructions for that group instead.
At any time, alums can share a new name with the College and Alum Association by any of the following methods:
- Updating their name in the Alum Directory
- Emailing alumdata@mtholyoke.edu
- Calling the Alum Data team at 413-538-2303
FAQs
I entered a preferred name in my student application. Where will that name go?
The name you enter in the MHC application system’s preferred name field will automatically go into the nickname field in my.mtholyoke.
This means that it will show up on your OneCard (photo ID card) and in Residence (the system Residential Life uses to manage on-campus housing).
- If you want that name to be used in other systems, we encourage you to enter it as your chosen name.
- If you don’t want that name to be on your OneCard or on your room’s door when you get to campus, we recommend removing it from the nickname field in my.mtholyoke.
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.
In most cases, nicknames will display in parentheses alongside your legal or chosen first name (if entered).
There are other systems (OneCard, Residence) where your entered nickname will be used instead of your chosen name or legal first name. In these systems if you don’t have a nickname but you do have a chosen name, your chosen name will be used.
Where will my chosen name display?
If I enter my chosen name using the instructions above, where else will it appear?
Central Systems of Record
| System |
What is this? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| My.mtholyoke / Colleague |
Student Information System. Used by the Registrar’s Office, Disability Services, Faculty course rosters, Mail Services, the Provost’s Office, Professional Staff on Call (PSOC), etc
|
Yes, updated immediately if changed in my.mtholyoke or nightly if changed in Workday |
Yes |
Students can provide a chosen name in my.mtholyoke Self Service. Changes here will propagate to other systems that take chosen names. Syncs with Workday nightly.
|
| Workday |
Employee Information and Finance System. Used by HR and Finance.
|
Yes, updated immediately if changed in Workday or nightly if changed in my.mtholyoke |
Yes |
Faculty and staff can provide a chosen name using the preferred name field. Changes here will propagate to other systems that take chosen names.
Syncs with my.mtholyoke nightly.
|
| OneCard IDs / OneCard web portal |
Campus ID cards and the system of record for OneCards. |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
If you have also entered a nickname, the nickname will display as your first name instead of your chosen name. |
Communication and Collaboration systems
| System |
What is this? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| Google |
Google apps for Email, Drive, Calendar, etc |
Yes, if available on initial Google account creation. After that, updates must be made manually. |
Yes |
Edit your display name in Google at any time. |
| Microsoft |
Office 365 apps |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| Kaltura |
Video storage and captioning platform |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| Zoom |
Video-conferencing |
No |
Yes |
Zoom initially sets your name to match your Google display name. Users can also edit their name directly in Zoom. Changes made won't sync back to other systems.
|
Teaching and Learning systems
| System |
What is this? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| MHC Moodle |
MHC's learning management system |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| Five College Moodle/Canvas/LMS systems |
Learning management systems at the other schools in the Five College Consortium |
No |
No, see notes |
Five College Learning Management systems will not reflect chosen names in MHC systems. Students must contact the other institution’s Registrar’s Office to request a name change. |
| MHC Transcripts |
Academic course transcripts |
No |
No, see notes |
Official transcripts use a student’s legal name. Unofficial transcripts do not include the student’s name at all. |
| Pathways |
MHC's student success and advising platform |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| ViaTRM |
MHC's study and travel abroad portal |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
Student Life systems
| System |
What is it? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| Embark |
Student involvement and student organization platform |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
Yes |
Changes made to your name in Embark won't sync back to other systems. |
| Maxient |
Honor Code and Community Standards procedures, Safety Net Fund applications, Religious Accommodation applications, etc |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| My Health Connection Portal |
Student portal for MHC Health Services |
Yes, if available on initial account creation |
Yes |
Changes made within the MyHealthConnection Portal won't sync back to other systems. |
| Residence |
Residential Life system for managing housing |
Yes, updated nightly once the chosen name is in my.mtholyoke |
No |
If you have also entered a nickname, the nickname will display instead of the chosen name. |
| Titanium |
Counseling Services system |
No. Chosen names are provided by students when scheduling and by Counseling employees during their onboarding, not by Workday or my.mtholyoke |
No, see notes |
Students provide their chosen name in Titanium on their first login or when scheduling and can request updates to this at any time.
Employees in Counseling provide their chosen name during onboarding and can request updates to this at any time.
Titanium is not directly connected to my.mtholyoke or Workday. Changes made in Titanium won't sync over to other systems.
|
| MHC Vector Solutions |
Compliance training modules for Orientation and Community Standards |
Yes if available during initial data pull, displayed alongside legal name |
No |
A user’s legal name and nickname/chosen name (in parentheses) are displayed.
Changes made in my.mtholyoke after the initial data pull to Vector Solutions are not synced.
|
Student Financial Services (SFS) systems
| System |
What is it? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| Financial Aid Online |
Online portal for managing student financial aid |
Yes, updated nightly once the chosen name is in my.mtholyoke |
No |
|
| TouchNet Tuition statements to Students and Authorized Users |
Tuition statements sent by the SFS Bill Pay system |
No |
No |
Legal names are required on tuition statements. |
| TouchNet Email communications to students (not Authorized Users) |
Email communications sent by the SFS Bill Pay system to students |
Yes, updated in near-real-time |
No |
Standard email communications to students about billing are sent monthly (when the student has acct activity in the last month, or a balance other than $0). There may be some ad-hoc or annual notifications, like the 1098T notifications. (Note that the 1098T will always have the legal name since it's a tax document) |
Other administrative systems
| System |
What is it? |
Will this system use the chosen name I've provided centrally? |
Can I edit my own name directly in this system? |
Notes |
| EMS |
Event management system and space reservations |
Yes, changes may take 4-24 hours to appear |
Yes |
Changes made in EMS won't sync back to other systems. |
| AskLITS portal |
The LITS ticketing system (this website) |
Yes, changes may take 24 hours to appear |
No |
|
| InterLibrary Loan (ILL) |
The system for borrowing outside the Five College libraries |
No |
Yes |
Changes made in the ILL system won't sync back to other systems. |
Where will my nickname display?
If entered, nicknames will display for students in parentheses alongside their legal or chosen first name on faculty's course rosters.
If entered, nicknames will also be used on OneCards and, for students, in Residence.
Why is my last name / family name showing up twice?
Information entered in the chosen name field in my.mtholyoke is displayed in many places in front of the last/family name field.
If you enter your full name into the chosen name field in my.mtholyoke, 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 across systems.
This is less of a challenge for faculty and staff who enter their chosen name in Workday because Workday includes a full suite of connected name fields on its “preferred name” form, making it clear where to put your chosen first name.
How do I edit my name in MHC Google?
Follow these instructions to 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.