Preferred Name and Gender Identity
Beginning Fall 2022, Northern Arizona University will begin providing the opportunity for undergraduate and transfer applicants to include preferred name and gender identity as a part of the biographical information section of the application. These will be optional questions on the application and will not be shared with anyone making admissions decisions. Rather, this information will only be used to better understand and support the students applying to and enrolling at NAU. Identity information is not used in NAU’s admission decisions.
How Preferred Name is Used by the University
Preferred or Chosen Name: Northern Arizona University understands that there are members of our Lumberjack community who do not use their legal name as provided to the university for several reasons. Recognizing an individual’s chosen or preferred name fosters respect and acknowledges our diverse communities. Students can indicate their preferred name to NAU without changing their legal name. NAU staff and faculty are also able to indicate their preferred name through LOUIE.
The preferred name will be visible on class rosters, grade rosters, the online learning system, and the NAU directory. The legal name is used on official university documents that require a legal name such as tax documents and pay checks.
Sex: Northern Arizona University, as well as other institutions who utilize federal resources, are required to collect legal sex to comply with federal reporting obligations. The sex designation on the application must match with the Social Security office.
NAU offices with federal reporting compliance obligations have access to this information as well as personnel who have a demonstrated need to know.
Gender Identity: We understand that to create a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just environment for all of our Lumberjacks we need to provide identification options for our Lumberjacks who do not identify within the binary constructs of gender, and whose gender identity may not match their legal/biological sex.
We use this information to provide inclusive support and programming options for the unique and vibrant identities within our community.
Individual responses will not be broadly accessible or shared with individuals, programs, or departments across the university. However, access will be made available to a limited staff who have a demonstrated need to know in order to provide support or education. Gender identity may also be shared in aggregate without connecting the information to individuals.
Northern Arizona University’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy “prohibits discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information.”