{"id":5615,"date":"2021-10-08T15:50:34","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T19:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/faculty-excellence\/?page_id=5615"},"modified":"2025-03-28T17:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T21:53:10","slug":"preferred-names-and-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/faculty-excellence\/teaching-strategies\/preferred-names-and-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"Preferred Names and Pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preferred names matter<\/h2>\n

In 2019, Montclair State University adopted a Preferred Name Policy<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Montclair State University recognizes that some individuals have a strong preference to use and be known by a name other than their Legal Name for reasons related to their gender identity, cultural background, or for other social or personal reasons. It is the University\u2019s policy to permit students and employees to designate, use, and be known within the University community by a Preferred Name, to the extent that doing so is consistent with law, assures the integrity of the University\u2019s official records, and is reasonably feasible to accommodate within the University\u2019s record-management systems. <\/em><\/p>\n

See full Preferred Name Policy<\/a>; see FAQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The policy is new, but the human desire to select one’s name is not new at all.\u00a0 What is helpful about the policy is that students can systematically inform all of us, at once, as to how they would like to be addressed.\u00a0 If a student requests that you use a name other than what is listed on your roster, you might remind the student of the policy and direct them to the link in the Montclair Syllabus that facilitates the process of changing one’s name. As always, instructors play a key role in amplifying and directing students to policies that may be helpful.<\/p>\n

Respecting pronouns<\/h2>\n

Consistent with Montclair’s commitment to affirming personal choice, instructors are encouraged to be forward-thinking and explicitly inclusive in their speech, writing, and pedagogical decisions around pronoun use. Here are some suggestions:<\/p>\n