DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Allegheny College alias name

http://sites.allegheny.edu/my/2016/08/28/chosen-name-policy/

Just curious what DTers think of this. Intersting concept in these interesting times.

Looks to me like ebonics is catching on.

I think this is a really cool thing for the school to do, actually.

I know the transgendered thing is sort of a big confusing issue right now, but this is really cool for the international students.

Cjrae, i'm sure as an educator you've come across some head scratching names from foreign students, and not because the name is weird, but because of the culture and language they identify with.

I remember meeting this Hindu guy...really crazy name. he just wanted everybody to call him George.

so i think it's a cool concept.

I do understand this line of thought.

Yes. There have been some difficult names to pronounce and spell.

I somehow am feeling like this moves us away from accepting individuality and diversity. Most campuses strive for acceptance of "diversity" and "individuality". Most of us in society want the same thing as well.

Also, I can see additional cost to all involved in monitoring and maintaining the parallel names within the college and community.

My good friend is assistant dean of student affairs. Her explanation for this appears to lack substance. I'm not sure she is for this but goes with the flow.

I guess time will tell. Perhaps some students will take pride in their ethnicity, race, culture etc. and choose to use their given name.

Allegheny is a liberal arts school so almost anything goes.

Just call me tater salad...

So what happens when the person born "Phillip" gets his degree under the name ..... say .... "Samantha" ..... and then tries to get a job, only cannot produce a degree in his legal name?

.....don't they check your social in that case?

I don't know.

I would assume that an employer verifying college credential would do so as an employer verifying employment does, and provides the name, credential being verified, and time the person attended..... and I doubt that a Social Security number comes into the picture at all. Maybe I'm wrong ..... but I just see this as a potential problem for the person changing their name on their academic credentials without changing their name legally.

Years ago I worked with a Chinese guy with a complicated name. So he always said "Just call me Bobby" So we did. Worked well.

When he/she was in line with 3 other applicants, employers I have spoken with would say to themselves, "Nah, I don't need this crap, next!" They would of course handle it all very PC like.

Life is never about what should be, it is about what is.

just to be clear,

you just admitted to the board that it isn't about who the best qualified for the job.

after in past threads, you argued against affirmative action because it takes away employers from hiring the best person for the job.

Cjrae, i want to be clear that im not hijacking your thread, nor am i making this about anything else but the topic.

i just wanted to point out the double standard that some people seem to have.

if he/she is the best person for the job, then in the interest of the business, why can't they look past that?

unless you are of course admitting that it is no longer about the best person, as you and others have alluded to in the past.

if somebody is transgendered, go with what they identify with. i really don't understand why thats so complicated.

It is what it is.

Employers see a whole list of complications when hiring what could be trouble for them in their view.

They will go to the next most qualified person to avoid the perceived problems.

I am not defending it, just telling you what I have observed.

When you hire someone and they are most qualified but turn out to be trouble later on, your boss wants to know why you hired this person in the first place. Now it is your job on the line.

Affirmative Action is a different story as you are forced into hiring a less qualified person do to Race or whatever.

as an Allegheny alum, this sounds exactly like something the school would do. If I were a person with different values or whatever I'd appreciate this.

The school is very liberal and progressive (plus, I wouldn't doubt this idea was firmly suggested by some very wealthy donors)

Good points from all.

Appreciate the input.

My son was thinking about this college as we are nearby but this has changed his thinking a bit.

As most of you know, I am a bit of a conservative, however, I'm really leaning towards thinking this may be a good idea given some of the misconceptions many in our society have about those who are different.

I get the employee/employer aspect, however as I understand this, it will be an alias simply for campus use only. The credentials/degree will be in the student's given name.

I just find it sad and disconcerting that people cannot simply be who they are in this society and be free of negativity from others whether it's in a gender bias, name, ethnicity, culture or political view.

Again, this is a liberal arts school and they are progressive in thought.

I agree but our youth need to see there is a difference between what should be and what is reality. When an employer hires you, he is taking on a risk to his own standing if you don't work out. Especially if you turn out to have issues which cause him problems. It is a risk many are not willing to take.

The school and your parents and the administration may respect your independence when you tattoo eyes on your eyelids but when you face an employer, you will be asking him to risk his job in hiring someone out of the norm. Very risky.

True. But is a name really going to make a difference?

We hired an hispanic employee at our business. He turned out to be an excellent worker, just a bit of a language barrier that made everyone work a bit harder to try and communicate. It is when we attempt to live in a bubble of similarity in our lives we lose out on incredible and often worthwhile opportunities.

lol cjrae, you ain't conservative. You're one of us.

I agree, but hiring a Hispanic to work is a no brainer. Every Hispanic I have ever known is a good and hard worker and I know a lot of them. You are an open minded employer and that is good. Not all are. Most employers I know are not.

Never! I'm an independent thinker that takes each situation as it presents with the most open mind I can.

Thanks though!

No biggie, a few months in a FEMA camp and we can cure you of that flaw.

I wonder if anybody chose the name Gator?

Do people actually just check for the piece of paper? Anytime I've had to show proof of degree, it was through transcripts and not the degree itself.

Edited to add: where this is nice is for Asian students. Very few of them wish to be called by their actual name and pick am Americanized name instead.

From what I understand, the alias is just for a campus presence. The degree would be in a given name.

I see the problem to be more localized when issues arise within the community.

Is there more to this than just the university referring to the students by the nickname of their choice?

Yeah, going back and re-reading the article, you're right.

Their statement defines this action as a protection for LBGTQ and others of certain ethnicities who choose not to be identified per their name.

This is why I feel it is sad we find this a necessity in our society.

However, Allegheny brags the most diverse poulation among liberal arts colleges. It may be an attempt at drawing minorities, certain ethnicities and members of the LBGTQ community.

quote above by Cj:

"It may be an attempt at drawing minorities, certain ethnicities and members of the LBGTQ community."

I like that. Yes, probably to at least increase the pool of applicants.

"See how diverse we are? We are at the vanguard of diversity." We are Diversity LGBTQ Community College"

Hey, what's the "Q" for?

In fact, the 'Q' can stand for 'questioning' or 'queer' and sometimes you may see the acronym written as “LGBTQQ” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer]. The Q” is used as a stand-in for questioning when a person is unsure of sexual identity.