Name for Student Records Procedures

Delegated Authority / Collaborators:

Katie Grocki, Registrar

Amy Pearson, Assistant Registrar

Tina Berry, Associate Registrar for Graduation and Records

Jen Sealy, Director of Admissions and Recruitment

Jeanette Reed, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships

Mariana Santamaria, Assistant Director of CEWD Operations

Kiran Ghising, Help Desk Technician

Definitions for the Purpose of this Procedure

“Legal Name” refers to the name that identifies a person for legal purposes. Legal name is typically assigned at birth and recorded on the birth certificate unless subsequently changed legally. Legal name may also be referred to as “Primary Name.”

“Chosen Name” refers to the name by which an individual wants to be addressed and may also be referred to as “Preferred Name.”

"Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)" refers to a federal law protecting the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools receiving funds under any applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA applies to all education records of any student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.

"Student Education Record" refers to the records, files, documents, and other materials which contact information directly related to the student and are maintained by the College.

"Record" refers to the information maintained by the College directly related to a student or potential student that contains personally identifiable information.

Procedure

Legal names are established at the time of a credit application or when registering for a Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) class. Students who legally change their name while enrolled at the College must update their legal name for student records. In order for a student to request a legal or chosen name change, the student must submit the Change of Name Form to Registration and Records for processing.

Legal Name Change:

A legal name change requires supporting documentation to accompany the form. A legal name will not be updated until supporting documentation is submitted. This could include but is not limited to the following:

Signed social security card
Certified copy of marriage license
Court order
Divorce decree
Current passport (for non-U.S. citizens)
Proof of identity certified by US embassy abroad or appropriate foreign embassy in the U.S. (for non-U.S. citizens)

For the purposes of financial aid, a student’s legal name should be on their social security card and that is what is used to confirm identity on their FAFSA.

Chosen Name:

A student's chosen name will default to their legal name unless the student designates a different chosen name.

A chosen name change does not require any additional supporting documentation; just the form is required. The Registrar or their designee may deny a chosen name change request for reasons such as the chosen name exhibits fraudulent or deceptive intent, uses inappropriate language, or is in violation of the Code of Student Conduct.

If the Registrar or designee denies the request for a Chosen Name, the student may appeal to the Vice President of Student Experience per the Student Complaints Procedure using the Student Non-Grade Complaint Form.

Other Name Change Information:

If a student’s legal or chosen name is spelled incorrectly in the student information system, they should still use the Change of Name Form to submit the request to correct their name. If the incorrect spelling is due to staff processing error, no additional supporting documentation is required. If the incorrect spelling is not due to staff error, then the student should submit documentation to support the spelling correction that is needed.

Name changes are effective upon completion of processing and are not retroactive for documents previously issued.

Upon completion of processing the name change request, Registration and Records submits a request to IT to update a student’s FCC email address.