My Name
At North Carolina Central University, we aim to help everyone feel included and welcomed. In working towards this goal, we realize that there are faculty, staff, and students who feel more comfortable with names that are not their legal names. North Carolina Central University has various ways that you can display your preferred first name.
The term “legal first name” refers to the name that appears on official documents like an individual’s passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or Social Security Card. In connection with their hiring, employment, or admission to the university, all persons must still provide their legal first name, and other identifying information required by law or University rule, process or regulation.
The term “preferred first name” refers to the first name that a person desires to use within the university community that is different than their first name. Please note that the university has no legal authority to change anyone’s name for purposes outside the university. Any “preferred first name” will apply only within the university.
The term “username” refers to an account created by NCCU’s active directory at the time of application for admission or employment, and serves as the individual’s identity for most NCCU’s systems, including your official NCCU email address. Your username cannot be changed. For example, Flutter M. Eagle’s username is feagle19. Your display name associated with your email address, e.g., Flutter M. Eagle ([email protected]), can be changed, e.g., to Fly M. Eagle ([email protected]).
It is not a University policy to mandate the use of "preferred first names." The University does not mandate the use of a preferred first name. Subject to these procedures, the use or non-use of a preferred first name is at the discretion of the individual. In addition, persons already granted the right to use a preferred first name may, subject to these procedures, later select a different preferred first name or choose to remove a preferred first name and resume use of a legal first name.
Subject to content-neutral and legal limitations described or referenced in this procedure, the university will use the individual’s preferred first name on university systems, documents, correspondence, databases, and reports whenever doing so would not be contrary to law, university policy or regulation, or detrimental to the university’s operations or the operation or effectiveness of university systems, documents, correspondence, databases, or reports. As systems begin to use individual preferred first names, they will be added to the link below for "Where Is Preferred First Name Displayed."
The privilege of using a preferred first name is subject to denial or revocation if its use would violate the law, university policies, rules or procedures, or violate the legal rights of others, such as the right to be free of unlawful harassment, actual or attempted identity theft or stalking, or would facilitate fraud or avoidance of legal process.