Staff and faculty now included in Preferred Name Policy

Changes announced over BBLearn allow staff and faculty to use their preferred name

On Oct. 2 Dalhousie announced a new preferred name policy would be available on the university’s BBLearn (OWL) system.

This means faculty and staff will be able to use first names on the banner system, an option already available for students several years now.

Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) Communications Officer Donna Balkan stated in an email to the Gazette, “The DFA are delighted that the preferred name policy now applies to faculty as well as students. This is clearly a step forward in recognizing the diversity of our faculty and making Dalhousie a more inclusive place to work.”

The change comes as the university saw a bevy of discussion surrounding preferred names issues last year, culminating in an official announcement by the Dalhousie Equity and Accessibility Office.

The announcement stated “the administration will be implementing the use of preferred names in documents such class lists, student identification cards, university email addresses, and during convocation ceremonies.”

It further describes the barriers students face when they lack such a policy.

In 2012, Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Act was amended to include gender identity and gender expression as grounds on which someone cannot be discriminated against.

While Dal names this section of the statute in its Prohibited Discrimination Policy, it has not been updated since 2001. Likewise, the Accommodation Policy for Employees overlooks the recent amendments because it has not been revised since 2008