Gaps in preferred name policy leave students frustrated

Concordia’s policy helps gender-diverse students use their chosen name, but technical errors give them the runaround

NewsManoj Subramaniam — Published November 5, 2024 3 minutes

Noah Roy-Collard, a trans student in the third year of their undergraduate program, was frustrated after being rejected for a reduced-fare Opus card because Concordia erroneously printed the wrong name on their attestation letter. 

According to Concordia’s preferred name policy, a student’s legal name should appear on their letter of attestation and other official university documents. However, that is not always the case. 

“The letter of attestation [had] my chosen name and my official IDs show my birth name, so they don't match,” Roy-Collard said, “and [Société de transport de Montréal (STM) officials] think that I'm trying to be someone else.”

Concordia’s preferred name policy has been in place since 2012 and was created to allow students to use a first name that differs from their legal name for day-to-day use in the university.

“[The policy helps] to avoid having to talk to each professor and it really simplifies things at school,” said Roy-Collard.

After a student files a request with the university, their preferred names will be used in places like Moodle, class lists and student ID cards.

When Roy-Collard attempted to apply for the Opus card using the online application portal integrated with Concordia’s system, it prompted them to apply for a card in person even if they had already tried it and been declined. 

“Concordia will provide the preferred name when we have it on file to the STM,” said Concordia University spokesperson Fiona Downey. “This was a request of the STM and is in line with the other Montreal institutions who leverage an integration with the STM reduced rate system.”
  
However, Roy-Collard would prefer to have their Opus card issued with their legal name in case they are stopped for inspection.

“I'd prefer just having my birth name because I don't want to run into any issues if they check tickets when [I] get out of the metro and they'd ask for my ID,” they said. 

In the meantime, students like Roy-Collard are left to deal with a time-consuming process going back and forth between the STM and Concordia’s offices year after year. Roy-Collard finally obtained their Opus card when they visited the Birks Student Service Centre in person to change their name on their attestation letter.
 
“[The STM’s] way of making it an option on their website but not informing their employees is definitely something I would consider transphobic, because it feels like it's hard on purpose for people,” Roy-Collard said. 

They added that they had originally felt angry about the situation, but were now mostly confused about the contradicting information they’ve received from the university and the STM. 

According to Samantha Blake, the operations coordinator for the Centre for Gender Advocacy, the process for someone to change their name legally in Quebec can take a long time. The centre can assist students in preparing the documents necessary for a legal name change and submitting the application to the Directeur de l’état civil. 

“If there's no issues with the documents, it could take six months to a year,” Blake said. “In the best-case scenario.”

Beyond logistical concerns, there are other reasons why it can be a problem for some students if their chosen name appears on their official documents, such as safety concerns. 

“Having your birth name still on your official documents is important because if you're not taking hormones yet, or if you haven't had operations and you get stopped and if your chosen name is on your IDs, then you could get in trouble because you don't pass,” Roy-Collard said. “It could put you in danger.” 

“​​We are aware of an issue with the system and are working on it,” Downey said. She did not provide additional details or a timeline.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 5, published November 5, 2024.