Preferred Name
John Jay College respects the importance that a name change might have to students during their time at the college. A preferred name is not a legal name, but is generally used to change how others refer to the student. For example, student Jonathan Doe may prefer the name John or student Mary Jane Doe may want to be referred to as Mary or Jane, rather than Mary Jane. Note that preferred names are not limited to variations of a student’s legal name; for example, student Jennifer may request the preferred name David due to a preference in gender identity and be unable to present the documents necessary to secure a court-ordered name change.
John Jay College permits the use of preferred name on all documents and records, except for official documents (such as diplomas and transcripts). Documents and records that may display a preferred name include, among other things, Brightspace, course rosters, student identification cards, student email addresses, and honors, awards, and prizes issued by the College.
Students can add or change their preferred names in CUNYFirst, it will replace the first name as part of the students'' CUNY login ID and will replace the legal first name in the CUNY portal systems listed below:
- Akademos (online bookstore)
- ALMA (library systems)
- Blackboard
- Brightspace
- DegreeWorks
- Dropbox
- EAB Navigate
- FACTS
- Certain Microsoft 365 applications (such as SharePoint and TEAMS)
- Schedule Builder
- Zoom
Please note that students must visit Jay Express Services to obtain a referral for changing their ID card at Public Safety.