Since
the
beginning
of
the
academic
year,
members
of
the
Baldwin
Wallace
community
have
been
given
the
opportunity
to
choose
their
own
first
name.
The
Baldwin
Wallace
University
Chosen
Name
and
Personal
Pronoun
Policy
allows
an
individual
to
identify
a
different
first
name
on
BW
communication
platforms
that
are
not
legal
documents
as
well
as
identify
pronouns
that
best
reflect
the
person's
identity.
While
this
program
went
into
effect
this
fall,
C.J.
Harkness,
chief
diversity
officer
and
Title
IX
coordinator,
said
that
members
of
the
BW
faculty
have
been
working
on
this
program
for
over
a
year.
"Our
LGBTQ+
task
force
had
this
on
its
radar
as
a
program
that
we
didn't
have
at
BW
that
was
at
some
other
institutions,"
said
Harkness.
While
this
program
is
particularly
beneficial
for
individuals
who
identify
as
transgender,
it
can
be
useful
for
other
members
of
the
community,
such
as
international
BW
community
members
as
well
as
persons
who
have
simply
always
gone
by
a
specific
nickname,
he
added.
While
the
program
is
beneficial
toward
the
overall
sense
of
inclusion
on
BW's
campus,
Harkness
said
the
program
is
just
one
additional
small
step
in
continuing
to
make
BW
as
inclusive
as
possible.
"BW
is
a
community
that
continues
to
want
to
find
ways
to
strengthen
and
broaden
the
sense
of
inclusion
on
our
campus,"
he
noted.
This
article
is
an
excerpt
of
a
story
that
first
appeared
in
the
student
newspaper,
The
Exponent.
