Western implements temporary procedure for first-name changes on Western ID cards

Western Washington University has implemented a temporary procedure allowing students and employees to obtain a Western Card that uses a preferred first name instead of legal first name.

This was done in recognition of the importance of providing transgender and genderqueer members of the Western community with respectful and accurate IDs, according to a notice from the campus Equal Opportunity Office.

The university is implementing this temporary procedure until a permanent process is in place for indicating a preferred first name for use more broadly in internal university systems.

For more information, contact David Brunnemer in the Registrar's office or Laura Langley in the Equal Opportunity Office.

The full text of the new procedure:

Temporary Procedure for First Name Changes on Western ID Cards

To respect the identities of transgender and genderqueer students and employees at Western, in the spirit of the Diversity Task Force and Associated Students diversity efforts, and to provide appropriate institutional processing time for long term policy, procedural and technological changes as related to preferred name and gender identification, Western is implementing the following temporary procedure for changing preferred first name on the Western Card.

Enrolled Western students and employees wishing to use a preferred first name instead of legal first name on their Western Card may make such a request in person either directly to David Brunnemer, Registrar, or through the Equal Opportunity (EO) Office. If a request is made through the EO Office, it will notify the Registrar, providing the requesting student or employee’s current name of record, Western ID number and date of birth (for cross identification purposes only). The Registrar will add the preferred first name to the appropriate Banner record and then notify the Western Card Office via email of the approved name change, including the preferred name in the email subject line. The student or employee may then go to the Western Card Office, where Western Card staff will issue a new Western Card to the student or employee reflecting the preferred first name in place of legal first name. If the student or employee desires, a new photo shall be taken by the Western Card Office and printed on the new Western Card.

Any new student or employee obtaining a Western Card for the first time is required to provide a government issued photo ID confirming the individual’s identity. A student or employee’s preferred first name need not appear on this ID. So long as the student or employee’s identity can be confirmed by the government issued ID, a difference between how an individual appears in their government ID photo and in-person at the time they request a Western ID card shall not prevent an individual from receiving a Western Card.

There is no charge for an updated Western Card requested due to a name change. The reasons for and fact of the name change are confidential and to be treated with care.

Questions about this temporary procedure may be directed to David Brunnemer, Registrar at x7732 or Laura Langley, Equal Opportunity/Employment Diversity Associate at x3307.