COD Students can now put whatever name they choose on their I.Ds and we’re here for it

We’ve probably all dreamt about changing our name at some point or the other. College of DuPage’s Office of Student Life is making that dream a reality by allowing students to use the name they are most comfortable with being addressed as on their student I.D cards. Of course there are ways this new move could potentially go awry, but, overall, it will be beneficial to students.

One of the most obvious benefits this new rule will bring about is preventing potential misgendering of people who are transgender, gender nonconforming or nonbinary. An article by KC Clements on Healthline.com says misgendering happens when “you intentionally or unintentionally refer to a person, relate to a person, or use language to describe a person that doesn’t align with their affirmed gender.”

Going through the transgender process is stressful enough without having to deal with being misgendered. Being addressed by the wrong gender can have a negative effect on a person’s mental health. COD is doing the right thing by implementing new ways to avoid this from happening. This new rule will help those students feel more valued and accepted, something COD and colleges in general should always strive to do for all their students.

It will also be good for people who like to be addressed by a name that happens to not be their legal one, like a nickname. A person’s name is a very important part of his or her identity. Being misgendered is almost always going to be more disconcerting than not being called by a cherished nickname. But overall, students should have the option to be addressed by the name they are most happy with.

Of course, there are also ways this rule could be abused by people looking to have a laugh or be rebellious. Even though the negative repercussions of abusing the rule makes that occurrence unlikely, some students may do so all the same.

Many students might not recognize the seriousness of the rule and choose to use the opportunity to change their name to something silly. While that might be appealing as a joke, there are consequences students should consider before doing this.

Choosing to be formally called by a ridiculous-sounding name will undoubtedly invite some amount of ridicule. Forget about professors, or anyone wanting to be taken seriously, daring to utter your name out loud. Doing so would always cause unwanted attention. Furthermore, there’s no way to get over the embarrassment of being introduced as an absurd name. Being fun and quirky is definitely not worth the trouble. Choosing to be called by a funny name will ensure you’re always the butt of the joke.

This new rule is a great way to accommodate the changing views in our society. It can have potential issues and drawbacks, but the consequences of abusing the rule would be on the students, not COD. As students are paying to be here, it’s important they feel respected. This rule will undoubtedly make the experiences of many COD students a little more enjoyable.