That’s not my name: Canvas to start using preferred first names

Since Jan. 31, Canvas has been notifying students that they can use a preferred first name instead of their legal first name. Students can go to Banner and fill out what they prefer their first name to be shown as on all school records.

“The university wants to accommodate these changes in many of the systems used. Canvas is one system that can facilitate the changes relatively quickly using information pulled from Banner,” said Tyler Clair, with the Center for Innovative Design. “For the time being, the preferred names will be updated in weekly batches, with the first batch already processed this past Sunday evening. This will continue till an automated solution can be implemented.”

This change could help teachers relate to students better and create a stronger relationship. It can also help students feel more comfortable around professors, reasons that many students pushed for the change.

But there are students who feel that this change will not make a huge impact on their relationship with their professors.

Dallas Horn, a sophomore majoring in Psychology said, “I could see how for other students it could help them feel more of a personal connection, but for me it doesn’t matter. Honestly, I don’t know if the teachers will care so much,” Horn said.

A lot of lower division courses have hundreds of students in them, especially general education classes.

“The freshmen classes are classes of 500, 300, a lot more people than upper-division. Professors in those classes barely know your name as it is,” said Mady Edwards, a freshman majoring in animal, dairy, and veterinary sciences.

Teachers may not even remember students’ names, to no fault of their own, but due to the sheer size of their classes.

“I think it would make it more personal, definitely, but at the same time, why does it matter because they might just call you the same thing. They have to remember so many.” said Edwards.

This change can definitely benefit certain students like international, transgender, those who want to legally change their first names, or prefer to go by their middle names or a nickname.

“I think it is only fair that the names are the same,” said Stephanie Symonds, a resident assistant for Valley View Tower and a law and constitutional studies major. “It makes things easier when I have to fill out paperwork.”

So while there are some who may not see this change as entirely different or beneficial, it will help those who go by a different name and those who help the university run.

— roniastephen@gmail.com

@RoniALake