Inclusive Identity Data Collection and Use Initiative

In support of the BU 2030 Strategic Plan pillar of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, IS&T has been working in partnership with many university offices toward collecting and using inclusive identity data in BU Information Services & Technology. We understand that the use of community members’ chosen display name and pronouns, along with the appropriate use and protection of gender identity and sex information, are vital components of a safe and welcoming campus culture.

Our goal is to achieve, as rapidly as feasible, the comprehensive adoption of display name and community member-provided pronouns while ensuring the continued use of legal names where required by law or external entities.

We also aim to end the use of sex/gender data whenever such data is not required by law for effective implementation. When such data is required, we plan to use gender Identity unless sex is strictly required.

We are also providing community members with the option to provide sexual orientation data for use by authorized university offices in assessment and program development. This data will be securely stored and provided only with authorization from the appropriate data trustee (VP Enrollment and Student Administration for students, Chief Human Resource Officer for staff and faculty).

Display Name submitted in the BU Directory Personal Information Form is currently used in the following BU IS&T services:

  • Directory Services: BU Directory
  • Identity Services: BU Terrier Card (CS Gold)
  • Email and Calendaring:
    • Office 365 Outlook
    • BU Google Mail
  • Conferencing: Online Meetings: Teams
  • Housing Systems:
    • Student Housing Portal (StarRez)
    • Terrier Web
    • Mail room packages (SC Logic)
  • Campus Safety Services: BU Emergency Notification System
  • Space Reservations: Event Scheduling (25Live)
  • Service Management Systems: ServiceNow
  • Student Systems: MyBU Student
  • Other student systems including but not limited to Blackboard, Handshake, and FitRec.

Community member pronouns provided in the BU Directory Personal Information Form are used in the following BU IS&T services:

  • BU Directory
  • Student Systems: MyBU Student

Gender Identity provided in the BU Directory Personal Information Form is currently used in the following BU IS&T services:

  • None at this time

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I change my name in other services that do not receive it from the BU Directory Personal Information form? 

  • Students: Visit the Registrar’s website for information on how to update your legal name in systems that use legal name 
  • Faculty and Staff: Visit this Human Resources page for information on how to update your name in various employee-related systems

What should I do if I want to use my lived name on campus, but I don’t want this name displayed in the public BU Directory?

Students can elect to opt-out of being listed in the BU Directory by visiting this page and clicking on “Update Personal Information” in the lower right-hand corner.  Faculty and staff are always included in the BU Directory, so you should take this into consideration if you change your Display Name. 

What if I update my Display Name and then change my mind?

You can change your information at any time. The same instructions above can be used to change it back, or to something else.

Why isn’t the change immediate in all systems?

The university uses hundreds of different information systems to provide the many services that enable your experience. Information is passed from the Identity system to each of them through integrations that run at different intervals.  For example, Blackboard is updated four times a day, MyBU Student is updated every 30 minutes, other items only run daily.  The variation is based on business needs and the complexity of the integration.

Where can I go to learn more about how BU uses my personal bio-demographic information?

Please visit this page for more detail.

Display Name
Optional 

How it’s used 

Your display name is the name that defines how you identify yourself and how you want others to identify you. Display name is a distinct field from legal name, and therefore the information you enter may be different from your legal name. Except where required by specific business process (defined under legal name), your display name will be used in systems, including but not limited to the Boston University Directory, MyBU Student, and Handshake. Your display name can also be used on your Terrier Card, which is Boston University’s official identification for students and employees.