Atlas Dwyer
Contributing Writer
The College of Wooster (C.O.W.) has many redeemable qualities. In general, it works to offer a safe, inclusive environment for students. But one of its glaring shortcomings is its mishandling of accessible services across campus, and this is especially evident in the name change process.
C.O.W. is home to many trans and nonbinary students. When these students want to change their school-recognized name to reflect their true identity, they face an absurdly complex system that functions in an antithetical format to the school’s face values. Students only have an all-or-nothing method for changing their names at Wooster. They can completely change their name across all school databases, which then propagates to official C.O.W. documentation, including billing, W-2 forms and important legal notices. The problem with this is that not all trans students come from safe, accepting homes. If their parents or guardians see their chosen name instead of their birth name, the student could be kicked out, abused or lose access to financial resources as a result. This scenario is a lingering fear for trans people at C.O.W., so most opt to simply not change their name at all. However, this results in constant misgendering from faculty, students and staff. This takes a severe toll on mental (and by extension, physical) health, which during the pandemic is the last thing anyone needs.
For this article, I interviewed Micah Morrow ’24, a first-year at C.O.W. this year. Micah uses he/they pronouns and has had personal experience with the name-change management issues at Wooster. I asked them if they had ever tried to change their name in the system.
“Yeah,” they said. “I tried to change my name so professors and students wouldn’t see my old name as the default, because in old classes I’d be called the wrong thing.”
“What do you think of the name change system as it stands?” I asked.
“Changing your name is a frustrating experience, because there is no way to customize the experience,” Micah said. “It only caters to students that have a safe address for mail to be sent home to, and who have accepting families.”
“What do you think Wooster could do to improve the system?” I asked him.
“I wish there was a way to change your name in the system and have there be an explicit marker for having your old name be on mail sent home. Because there is no way for trans students to feel safe while on campus, they can’t know that they won’t be outed without their family knowing their chosen name,” said Micah. “I had to change my name back because I was afraid of mail being sent home with my chosen name. It would’ve been unsafe.”
This all-or-nothing system is antiquated and harmful to not only trans students, but the entire student body. How can we come together in a respectful and cohesive system when we aren’t sure how to navigate basic information like names and pronouns? In order for C.O.W. to truly live up to its motto of “Independent Minds, Working Together,” the administration must allow an option to specify which documents and school-issued memos can use your chosen name. Students must be able to control when their identity is used as a weapon. Our safety and dignity must be valued above the bottom line. In order to impart to students the virtues that Wooster claims to hold, the administration must emulate them as well. Equity is vital to success. If Wooster wants to operate on a playing field of equal opportunities, it is imperative that they give trans and nonbinary students this option. For health, for safety, for success.