Policy:
Keuka College is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that supports individual identity and self-expression. Current students may designate a chosen first name and personal pronouns for use within the College. The College will make reasonable efforts to use a student's chosen name and personal pronouns in College systems, communications, and interactions whenever a legal name is not required.
Students may select a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns of their choosing, provided the request is not made for purposes of misrepresentation, fraud, disruption, or avoidance of legal or financial obligations. The College reserves the right to deny, modify, or revoke a request that is determined to be inappropriate, misleading, offensive, or otherwise inconsistent with College policies and procedures.
Certain College records and systems are required by law, regulation, accreditation standards, or operational necessity to use a student's legal name. These may include, but are not limited to, financial aid records, student conduct and intervention records, health records used for communication with insurance carriers or other external providers, and immigration records for studen ts holding F-1 or J-1 visa status. In such cases, the College cannot substitute a chosen name for a legal name.
Students should be aware that designating a chosen name for use in College records does not constitute a legal name change. A chosen name recognized by the College does not replace a student's legal name for governmental, legal, financial, employment, or other official purposes.
Students may be required to provide documentation reflecting their legal name and identity when interacting with employers, licensing agencies, government entities, or other external organizations, including when applying for a passport, driver's license, professional certification, or other official documents. Students who wish to change their legal name must do so through the appropriate legal process and provide updated documentation to the College.
Students should review the table below to understand when a chosen name may be used and when the College is required to use a legal name.
| Record | Chosen Name | Legal Name |
|---|---|---|
| Course Rosters | Yes | |
| Student Success Systems | Yes | |
| External HealthRecords | Yes | |
| Internal HealthRecords1 | Limited | |
| Student Conduct Records2 | Yes | |
| Housing Records | Yes | |
| College Identification Card | Yes | |
| Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure ActiveDirectory), and Microsoft Teams | Yes | |
Yes | ||
| Diploma3 | Must be requested by the student | Yes |
| Student Bills | Yes | |
| Financial Aid Records | Yes | |
| Tax Documents | Yes | |
| Payroll Records | Yes | |
| Official Transcript | Yes | |
| F-1 and J-1 VisaRecords (International students) | Yes | |
| College Mailings Sent to a Home Address | Yes |
1Internal Health and Counseling Records: Health and counseling staff will address students using their chosen name whenever possible. However, all health-related documentation, including records associated with insurance, laboratory services, radiology services, and external providers, must use the student's legal name.
2Keuka College houses records in a secure software platform for student conduct and case management system. Student conduct records are maintained under the student's legal name to ensure consistency across official disciplinary records and due process documentation.
3Diploma: Students may request their approved chosen first name and middle name appear on their diploma by emailing registrar@keuka.edu at least 30 days prior to degree conferral. Student's legal last name will appear on all diplomas. The College retains the student's legal name in its official academic records.
Personal Pronouns
Students may designate personal pronouns as part of their educational record. Personal pronouns will appear on course rosters and in advisor-facing student records but will not appear in the College Directory.
The College will make reasonable efforts to honor and use a student's chosen first name and personal pronouns in interactions, communications, and educational settings, consistent with applicable laws, policies, and operational requirements.
Procedures:
Registering a Chosen First Name and/or Personal Pronouns
To designate a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns, students must complete and submit a Chosen First Name and Personal Pronouns Request Form. The College will update eligible records and systems in accordance with this policy.
Chosen names provided during the admissions process are not automatically applied to institutional systems and must be confirmed through the Chosen First Name and Personal Pronouns Request Form following enrollment.
Students are encouraged to carefully consider their decision to designate a chosen first name and/or personal pronouns. Requests submitted under this policy must be made in good faith and accurately reflect the student's identity.
Students who wish to delete their name change request must resubmit the form. Chosen names may include names by which a student commonly identifies and wishes to be known within the College community. The College reserves the right to deny requests that are fraudulent, misleading, offensive, or disruptive.
Enrolled students who wish to change their legal name on College records, should consult the Name and Personal Information Change Policy.