My Name
We recognize that faculty, staff, and/or students may wish to use first names to identify themselves, other than their Legal First Name. To foster an environment that promotes student and employee success, the University provides the opportunity for members of the campus community to update their Preferred First Name.
The term “Legal First Name” refers to the name that appears on official documents like an individual’s passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or Social Security Card. In connection with their hiring, employment, or admission to the university, all persons must still provide their Legal First Name, and other identifying information required by law or University rule, process or regulation.
The term “Preferred First Name” refers to the first name that an individual wishes to be known by within the university community that is different from the person’s Legal First Name. Please note that the university has no authority to legally change anyone’s first name for purposes outside the university. Any Preferred First Name will apply only within the university.
The term “Pirate ID” refers to an account created by ECU’s active directory at the time of application for admission or employment, and serves as the individual’s identity for most ECU systems. Your Pirate ID cannot be changed. For example, Peedee Pirate’s Pirate ID is piratep19@students.ecu.edu.
The University does not mandate the use of a Preferred First Name. Subject to these procedures, the use or non-use of a Preferred First Name is at the discretion of the individual. In addition, persons already granted the right to use a Preferred First Name may, subject to these procedures, later select a different Preferred First Name, or chose to remove a Preferred First Name and resume use of their a Legal First Name.
Subject to content-neutral and legal limitations described or referenced in this procedure, the university will use the individual’s Preferred First Name on university systems, documents, correspondence, databases, and reports whenever doing so would not be contrary to law, university policy or regulation, or detrimental to the university’s operations or the operation or effectiveness of university systems, documents, correspondence, databases, or reports. As systems begin to use individual Preferred First Names, they will be added to the link below “Where is Preferred First Name displayed”.
The privilege of using a Preferred First Name is subject to denial or revocation if its use would violate the law, university policy, rule or procedure, or violate the legal rights of others, such as the right to be free of unlawful harassment, actual or attempted identity theft, stalking, or would facilitate fraud or avoidance of legal process.