Name Standards
To foster a campus environment that is inclusive, Coast Community College District has established a preferred or chosen first name policy.
Orange Coast College recognizes that many students and employees use names other than their legal name to identify themselves. These may include, but are not limited to, people who use their middle name instead of their first name, people who use a name that affirms their gender identity, people who use nicknames of their legal name, or people who use an anglicized name.
Students and employees may use their preferred or chosen first name, regardless of whether they have legally changed their name. Please note students and employees' legal names will continue to be used in certain capacities as required by law; e.g., transcripts, payroll records, financial aid documents.
To identify a preferred or chosen first name, students and employees must login into their MyCoast. The FAQ Name Standards Policy (PDF) provides additional information.
Pronouns
Personal pronouns often take the place of a person's name. The only way to be certain about a person's pronouns is to ask them; making assumptions may lead to misidentifying, misgendering, and/or otherwise negatively impacting the person.
In Canvas, users have the option to select their pronouns from a dropdown menu on the Canvas profile page. Refer to Personal Pronouns - A Resource for Students (PDF) and Personal Pronouns - A Resource for Faculty (PDF) for more information.
Additional information regarding the Name Standards Policy and Pronouns can be found on the District's Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance website.