Updating Personal Pronouns and Gender Identity

Providing students and employees the opportunity to indicate their pronouns and gender identity is part of fostering a respectful and inclusive university community.  It recognizes that students, staff, and faculty in our Western community hold a diversity of gender identities and use a variety of pronouns, and that each of these individuals is entitled to respect. Respecting people’s gender identities is consistent with Washington State law and University policy, both of which prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression.  More details follow.

If a student indicates their pronouns in Web4U, those pronouns will appear next to the student’s name on class lists and photo rosters in Web4U and on printed class lists. Pronouns also appear in Navigate, a system used by academic advisors.  People often make assumptions about the pronouns others use based on perceptions of names or appearances. These assumptions are not always correct, and acting on these assumptions can be disrespectful or hurtful even when no harm is intended. Including pronouns on class lists and in Navigate can help avoid reliance on assumptions and support all students in having their identities respected.

Students, note that many faculty print class rosters only at the beginning of the quarter. If you update your pronouns in the middle of a quarter faculty may not see this information if they have already printed the class roster. If you update your pronouns in Web4U mid-quarter, you may choose to notify your current professors directly.

Canvas users can also indicate their pronouns in Canvas by following the directions from ATUS.

Pronoun information provided by faculty and staff will be shared in the updated employee directory that will be launched during the 2021-22 year. Information about sharing pronouns via business cards and Western’s email signature generator.

When a student has indicated their pronouns, faculty should use those pronouns when speaking about the student, whether or not the student is present.

Using pronouns that are unfamiliar or less familiar requires intentionality.  You might find it helpful to review the personal pronouns chart showing how to use less familiar pronouns; wallet and notecard sized versions of this chart are available from the LGBTQ+ Director.  You can also read LGBTQ+ Western’s webpage about Understanding and Respecting Personal Pronouns.  That page links to a web tool that can be used to practice using different pronouns.

There are many different personal pronouns; the list of pronouns included in Web4U is not exhaustive. Students may use pronouns other than those included in Web4U and students’ requests to use such pronouns should be respected.

Unlike information about pronouns, which for students appears on class lists and for employees will appear in the new employee directory, information about students’ and employees’ gender identities is not shared in any individually identifying way.  Used in aggregated ways, information about gender identity helps give Western a fuller understanding of who our students, faculty, and staff are.  This information can help Western best develop and tailor support resources that advance the wellness and success of everyone in our community.

As required by law, gender identity information may not be used for discriminatory purposes and is treated confidentially.

Students and employees may update or remove this information at any time by logging into Web4U, going to the Personal Information tab, and selecting “Update Personal Pronouns and Gender Identity.”

As noted above, many faculty print class rosters only at the beginning of the quarter. If you update your pronouns in the middle of a quarter, faculty may not see this update. When an update is made mid-quarter, a student may choose to notify their professors directly.

A work group led by Western’s LGBTQ+ Director developed these options. The work group included student representatives from the Queer Resource Center and T.A.G. Team (Team for Trans and Gender Nonconforming Students), and faculty and staff representatives.  To inform its decisions, the work group reviewed resources related to collection of such data, and consulted with Western’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Yes. In classes where students are invited to introduce themselves to one another, welcoming the sharing of pronouns as a part of those introductions is a good practice. Although students’ pronouns appear on class lists if they indicated their pronouns in Web4U, giving students who chose to do so the opportunity to share this information with classmates is a good practice.

Questions about updating one’s information in Web4U should be directed to the Registrar’s Office for students and the Department of Human Resources for employees.  Concerns about discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance.  Additional questions about why Western is collecting this information may be directed to the LGBTQ+ Director.

Information about how to indicate a lived first name or update your legal name is here for students and here for faculty and staff.