SUNY ESF
Lived/Preferred Name Process

Members of our community may go by a first name that is different from their legal name. To differentiate from legal name, this is sometimes referred to as a lived, chosen, or preferred name.

To Submit a Lived/Preferred Name

Log into your myESF portal (students) or Faculty Self-Service Banner (employees). Under the "Personal Information" tab, edit your personal details to include a "Preferred First Name." You may also update your personal pronouns and gender identity if desired. Within approximately 24 hours of updating the "Preferred First Name" field in myESF, your legal name will be automatically replaced by your lived/preferred name in the following places:

• ESF Information Systems

  • esf.edu email address display name
  • ESF class rosters
  • All myESF system greetings
  • Your myESF profile display name
  • ESF Handshake
  • Employees: Academic departmental directories and faculty directory

• Syracuse University Information Systems

  • BlackBoard
  • syr.edu email display name

  • SU Zoom display name

Other Systems

• MySlice and SU class rosters are NOT linked to myESF. Students are advised to update preferred name on MySlice for preferred names to be displayed on SU class rosters and any other systems provisioned directly by MySlice.
• Centennial Hall records are not linked to myESF. To update name for your door tag and other records, please update fields in the Residential Portal app. Please direct questions to centennialhall@greystar.com. Please note that legal contracts will reflect legal name.
• Campuslabs systems (Engage/Corq at ESF and OrangeNow at SU) are not linked to myESF (Engage/Corq), MySlice, or each other. To have lived names on club rosters, events RSVPs, and co-curricular transcripts, users should edit that platform's campus profile directly and independently. For Engage, click your profile picture or name, and then the pencil to revise editable fields; repeat (if desired) for OrangeNow. Users may also upload photos, if they choose. 
• Moon Library accounts
  • Interlibrary Loan users may edit ILLiad profiles directly. 
  • Moon Library uses Alma/Primo for internal loans and searches, and staff periodically manually synch Lived Name fields from Banner. Synchronization is frequent early in the semester, but upon request (livedname@esf.edu) at other times.
• Individual faculty webpages and non-academic employee department directory/contact webpages (such as for the Business Office, Student Affairs, and Facilities staff) are not linked to myESF. Displayed names can be updated upon request, using the website request form.
• ID Cards with lived names can be printed upon request at no charge, but they are not issued automatically. Once Lived Name is updated in myESF please, visit the SU ID Card office in person, with old card, and state that you wish to have card reprinted with Lived Name. Please note that replacement of lost cards, cards reprinted just with new photos, or requests made online, will incur a fee.

Important Notes

• Some institutional, federal, and state documentation requires the use of legal name, for example transcripts, financial aid documentation, and international student documentation. 
• If you have granted access to any of the above systems to someone else (parent/family/guardian/other), they will see the same name information that you see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does ESF use the combination term Lived/Preferred Name?

You may notice that our process uses the combination term "Lived/Preferred Name". This is done in order to remain consistent with language used within the ESF and SU information systems; we recognize that lived names are not merely a preference. We firmly believe that everyone should be referred to by the name that authentically reflects their identity.

Why isn’t my Lived/Preferred Name used everywhere?

We endeavor to use the lived name you provide in as many area as possible, including on mailings to permanent addresses. However, some institutional, federal, and state documentation requires the use of legal name, for example transcripts, financial aid documentation and bills, and international student documentation.

We recognize that there are instances where, for safety reasons students may need to solely use a legal name in their home environment. If this is your situation, we encourage you to reach out to the Lived Name Committee at livedname@esf.edu to discuss alternatives to the standard process.

Can I submit a lived/preferred last name?

Please note that this process allows individuals to indicate only a lived first name. If there has been a legal name change, students should follow steps outlined by the Registrar, while employees should contact HR (humanresources@esf.edu).

What can I do if a college community member refuses to use my lived/preferred name or repeatedly neglects to use my lived/preferred name?

ESF is committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for the benefit of our entire campus community. You have several options for reporting and/or support in this instance. These include connecting with the Lived Name Committee (livedname@esf.edu), the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access, a trusted faculty or staff member, or by submitting a bias incident report (either anonymously or with your contact information attached).

What name will someone else with access to my records see?

If you have granted access to any of the above systems to someone else (parent/family/guardian/other), they will see the same name information that you see.

Can my diploma list my lived name?

Lived names can be on diplomas if the student requests on their graduation form.

My dead name is used someplace where a legal name is not required?

We understand that seeing deadnames can be distressing—we thank you for your assistance in troubleshooting systems with us.   Please forward email or email relevant screenshots to livedname@esf.edu—we will endeavor to identify the steps to automatically update from Banner or add instructions to this page for users to manually update the relevant profile.  

Contact the Lived Name Committee

If you would live help talking about your name and/or pronouns with anyone on campus or at Syracuse University, please contact the Lived Name Committee at livedname@esf.edu.

If you have any questions about this process, please check the "Frequently Asked Questions" list and/or reach out to the ESF Lived Name Committee at livedname@esf.edu.

To report an incident of hate or bias please report the incident(s) in our Bias Reporting Tool.

Bias Reporting Tool

Bias Incident Reporting Form

ESF's bias reporting system provides ESF students, staff, and faculty with an avenue to report incidents of bias, bigotry, or hate that occur on our campus or in off-campus settings that impact ESF. Reports may be submitted anonymously or with the reporter's name included. Please note that submitting a report anonymously may impact ESF's ability to fully respond to your concerns. ESF Community members who feel they have been the target of bias (or who have witnessed a bias-related incident) may report the incident online, or contact these Title IX Authorities.