Pronoun fields added to select university systems

Johns Hopkins University students, staff, and faculty now have the ability to designate their personal gender pronouns in select university systems, furthering the university's commitment to inclusion. This effort was led by the Office of Institutional Equity, LGBTQ Life, and University Information Systems and follows the university's expanded support of preferred name usage.

Pronouns such as he/she/they are used to refer to others in the third person and serve as a reflection of gender identity and expression. Since you cannot tell people's gender by their name or appearance, having pronouns appear in university systems will help foster respect with the JHU community, according to Demere Woolway, director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Life.

"Many students and faculty have asked for this feature, which will give everyone the option to share their pronouns if they choose," Woolway says. "By sharing your own pronoun, and respecting those of others, everyone can contribute to a more welcoming environment."

Individuals can select their pronouns by logging into the myJHU portal and selecting myProfile. The profile page contains a selection list as well as the option of entering a personalized set.

Once updated in the myJHU portal, pronouns will be used in portal searches; on class rosters in the Student Information System, or SIS; and in the directory in Blackboard. Additional pronoun support is planned for the Homewood Housing portal, StarRez; CoursePlus; and SIS listings for faculty, who will also have the preferred name option.

Information on pronoun usage and how to specify your pronouns is available on the Office of the University Registrar website.