Navigating the University
Name Change and Identification
University Documents & Databases
Undergraduate Students:
To change your name as it appears on official University documents, undergraduates must meet with the dean of their residential college. You must have already made this change legally, and you must present proof of this legal change with official documentation (court document, passport, etc.). Afterwards your dean can write an action that changes the name at the Office of the Registrar. Contact information for residential college deans can be found on the residential colleges website.
Graduate Students:
To change your name as it appears on official University documents, Graduate students should contact the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
International Students:
If you intend to change your gender on University records, please contact Jackie Leighton at the Davis International Center or Debby Bazarsky at the LGBT Center to discuss implications for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Faculty and Staff:
To change your name as it appears on official University documents, faculty and staff must go to the Human Resources website. Log in to HR Self Service, and click on the “personal information” link, under which you will find the section “name change.” You may also email a member of HR who can assist you with this process.
Alumni:
To change your name on the online Alumni Directory (TigerNet) you must contact the office of Alumni Records at (609) 258-3314. To change your gender you must log in to TigerNet, click on my profile, and you can select female, male, or you can opt out of listing gender on your profile.
It is important to note that if a name or gender change occurs while at Princeton University or after graduating, you will still need to contact the Alumni Association to make the change with them, as the general University database is separate from the alumni database.
TigerCard (Prox)
For students, your TigerCard, or “prox,” is your official University identification card. With the TigerCard you can access your building and dorm room, buy food or use your meal plan, purchase tickets, access the gym, make copies, purchase apparel at the U-Store and books at Labyrinth Books, utilize services offered by the Princeton Student Agencies, check out library books, attend Athletic events and more. Each year, students are given 8 vouchers on their TigerCard, called Passport to the Arts, which can be redeemed for free tickets to many theater, dance, and music events on campus.
Students, faculty, and staff can use Paw Points, similar to debit, as a payment method at various dining and retail locations around campus. Students can also use Student Charge, a credit account billed to the student account, at dining facilities and Labyrinth Books.
Students:
The summer before your first year you will send in, through the online matriculation process, a photograph that will appear on your TigerCard, which you will pick up when you arrive on campus in the fall. Throughout the year if your card is lost or dysfunctional, you can obtain a new one from the TigerCard Office on the A floor of New South. Unless the card has ceased to work on its own, you will be charged a $15 replacement fee, which can be charged to your Student Account, or paid for with cash, credit, or debit card. At any time if you wish to change the photograph on your card, you can replace it in this office, and you will be charged $15. The card is ready within a 5-minute wait at the office, and it is activated within 20 minutes. Once a card is replaced your old card(s) cannot be reactivated.
Students and Employees:
The name that appears on your TigerCard corresponds to your name according to the Registrar’s Office or Office of Human Resources. If you change your name through the University (see “Name Change” above) you can obtain a new TigerCard with the new information. TigerCards do not list a person’s gender or sex, only one’s student account #/employee ID and status (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, staff, faculty). For undergraduate students, your residential college, class year, and birth date also appear on the card.
Blackboard
In order to change your name on blackboard, email blackboard@princeton.edu or contact Debbie Bazarsky at the LGBT Center.
How to Legally Change Your Name in the State of New Jersey:
If you are a student at Princeton you can legally change your name in New Jersey, regardless of your home state. Undergraduates must change their name legally before changing it through the Registrar’s Office (see above). Changing your name is different in every state. If you are not from New Jersey, it is worth checking to see if the process is easier and/or less costly in your hometown.
These are the three main stages of changing your name:
- Fill out necessary forms to send to the court with a $200 filing fee made payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey and a self-addressed envelope. Forms include a complaint, an order fixing the date of your hearing, a final judgment, and a case information statement .
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When the court returns the complaint and order fixing the date of hearing to you, you will be informed of which local newspaper in which you must publish your plans to change your name. This is to inform the community of your name change and give residents the opportunity to attend the hearing to formally object. This is most likely in the case of attempted fraud or avoidance of debt. The newspaper must publish the date of your hearing at least two weeks before it takes place. You will have to provide the court with proof that appropriate parties were notified of your name change, including a confirmation from the publishing newspaper, or an Affidavit of Publication. To publish your announcement in the Princeton Packet, costs range from $10-12. The Affidavit of Publication costs an additional $15.
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You will appear in court at your hearing, and the judge will either grant or refuse to grant your name change. You will have to publish the final judgment in the newspaper within 20 days, which will cost an addition $10-12, and another Affidavit of Publication must be sent to the court, which costs an additional $15. You will then send copies of the certified final judgment to the Department of Treasury and the Registrar of Vital Statistics. You must notify the Department of Treasury within 45 days of the final judgment and include a $50 fee. You must also pay a $2 fee to the Registrar of Vital Statistics.
Every state and country has its own procedures, rules, and regulations. For those born in NJ, if you wish to order a corrected birth certificate, there is an additional $27 fee, and another $2 fee for each additional copy. In order to change your NJ driver’s license, you must present a copy of the certified final judgment in person to the Motor Vehicle Commission within 2 weeks after the final judgment.
Please note, the description above is for changing your name on your birth certificate and driver’s license in NJ. If you are transitioning or have transitioned and want to change your sex on these documents, you can often do this at the same time. If you were born in Canada or the United States, here is a link that describes changing your sex on birth certificates http://www.drbecky.com/birthcert.html. It may be outdated, so it is worth double checking with the state or providence to see if the process is still the same. To change sex on your driver’s license in NJ, you have to fill out a “Declaration of Change of Sex Designation” application with the Motor Vehicle Commission. For other states, provinces, and countries, you will have to contact them individually to find out if changing sex on a driver’s license is possible and how that works.
It is possible to walk from the NJ Transit Trenton Station (72 S Clinton Ave) to the courthouse (175 S Broad St.); they are .6 miles apart, and it would take about 13 minutes.
Directions:
- Head north on S Clinton Ave toward Barlow St for .1 miles.
- Turn left onto Barlow St.
- Walk .1 miles and turn right onto Market St.
- Walk .3 miles and turn right onto S Broad St. Destination will be on the left.
Gender Neutral Bathrooms
There are many non-gendered restrooms and single-stall restrooms marked “men” or “women” on campus. The LGBT Center maintains an updated map on their website that can be found at:
http://www.princeton.edu/lgbt/resources/on-campus/gender-free-bathrooms/.
Blue markers indicate a non-gendered restroom. Red markers indicate single-stall restrooms marked “men”. Green markers indicate single-stall restrooms marked “women”. Yellow markers indicate non-gendered places to shower.
If you know of restrooms or showers that are not on the map and/or you find any of the information we report incorrect, please email lgbt@princeton.edu with an update.
Locker Rooms at Dillon Gym
Dillon Gym has a men’s and women’s locker room. The women’s locker room includes several private shower stalls and changing areas, but the men’s locker room has no equivalent private spaces. In order to gain access to the fitness center, pool, and other activity spaces, one must enter through the gendered locker rooms or enter through the double doors to the right of the third basketball court.
David Leach, Associate Director of Athletics for Campus Recreation, has identified an alternate space located within the martial arts studio, which has a private bathroom, shower, and lockers. The space is not perfect, but it does offer privacy. If you are transgender or gender-non conforming and would like to obtain a key, you should contact David Leach directly, or Debbie Bazarsky at the LGBT Center can help facilitate this introduction. In addition, there are two single stall restrooms with a toilet and sink on the A level, behind the weight machine area. They offer privacy for using the restroom in the Stephens Fitness Center free weights area, but they do not have a shower or locker space. There is also a similar family restroom in the pool area that is large enough to change in and out of clothes.
Housing
Incoming Undergraduate Students Applying for Housing
There is a form you will be asked to complete to apply for housing. On this form, there is a write-in box for gender, which allows people to answer with a gender that best fits their identity. In addition, there is a box near the end of the survey that ask applicants to offer any additional information. If you are comfortable being “out” on your application, this is an excellent area to speak about your housing needs (e.g., a bathroom with a lockable door, a single, a roommate who is male, etc.).
All incoming students are randomly assigned to one of our six residential colleges, and the residential college staff make the room assignments. Each college has varying room configurations, so the more information you are able to provide the better they are able to place you. If you are not comfortable specifying your gender identity on your housing application, which is totally okay, you can contact Debbie Bazarsky at the LGBT Center, and she will work with you and the housing and residential college staff with the placement.
Gender-Neutral Housing
Undergraduate Students:
Gender-Neutral housing can be found in Spelman Hall, Scully Hall, 1901-Laughlin Hall, and Foulke Hall. Spelman Hall is entirely gender-neutral, while only select rooms are gender-neutral in the other dormitories. Spelman Hall consists of apartment-style housing, each with four single-person bedrooms, a kitchen, and a private bathroom. Scully Hall’s gender neutral housing consists of two single-person bedrooms and an adjoining private bathroom. In 1901-Laughlin and Foulke halls, gender-neutral rooms also have single-person bedrooms, usually joined by a common living room, but no private bathroom. These dormitories are all part of upperclass housing, and are only available to juniors and seniors. As a sophomore you can chose your room via the Room Draw process, but singles are the only gender-neutral option and may not always be available during the lottery time you receive. Incoming students can request a single, but they are not guaranteed.
Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff:
Graduate students, faculty, and staff in University housing can live with anyone regardless of gender.
More information regarding housing options, floor plans, and room draw can be found online at: http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/housing/.
The housing department maintains a “continuing dialogue” forum on its website. To submit feedback, comments, or questions related to your housing situation or on-campus housing in general, visit:
http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/housing/housingplan/continuing_dialogue/
Additional Institutional Support
The LGBT Center
Princeton University’s LGBT Center is located on the 200 level of Frist (Room 246) and is run by Director Debbie Bazarsky and Program Coordinator Andy Cofino. Debbie and Andy work year-round organizing events and programming, and are always available to meet confidentially with students.
Groups
The LGBT Center coordinates a number of discussion and support groups that meet regularly throughout the academic year. Transcending Boundaries (The Gender Group) is a supportive and confidential place for questioning, genderqueer, and trans students to discuss topics such as: gender identity, coming out, friends and family, transitioning, and navigating campus.
Other groups that may be of interest can be found at http://www.princeton.edu/lgbt/programs/lgbt-center-groups.
Programming
The LGBT Center has a rich programming calendar and offers programming on an array of transgender topics each semester. The Center also integrates trans topics and speakers into its programming throughout the year. Some examples of trans programing in the past include:
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Academic Talks
TransActions: Activism in Academia , ‘Assuming a Body: Transgender and Rhetorics of Materiality’: A Book Talk with Gayle Salamon, and Gender Matters -
Keynote Lectures
Mara Keisling, Kate Bornstein, and Les Feinberg -
Lunch and Dinner Discussions
Genderqueer: Beyond the Binary, Coming Out Trans @ Princeton, and Trans and FaithfulArt -
Exhibits and Performances
(Un)Heard: Transmasculine People of Color Speak! , Ignacio Rivera, and A Night of Words Spoken, Not Whispered -
Training Sessions
Trans 101 ALLY Workshop, Trans Healthcare for Providers, and Supporting Transgender Students, Staff, Faculty, and Alumni
In addition, every November, Princeton University hosts the New Jersey Statewide Transgender Day of Remembrance Ceremony, which is collaboration with the Gender Rights Advocacy Association of New Jersey (GRAANJ) and brings the University and local communities together.
For more information regarding the LGBT Center’s programming visit their website at http://www.princeton.edu/lgbt/programs.
Athletics
Princeton University Athletics is an affiliate of the NCAA, or National Collegiate Athletic Association. In 2011, the NCAA approved a transgender polity aimed at allowing student athletes to compete in accordance with their gender identity. The information presented here was taken from the official NCAA website:
A trans male (female to male) student-athlete who has received a medical exception for treatment with testosterone for gender transition may compete on a men’s team but is no longer eligible to compete on a women’s team without changing the team status to a mixed team. A mixed team is eligible only for men’s championships.
A trans female (male to female) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for gender transition may continue to compete on a men’s team but may not compete on a women’s team without changing it to a mixed team status until completing one calendar year of documented testosterone-suppression treatment.
More information concerning this policy can be found at the NCAA website.
Career Services
The Office of Career Services works to assist undergraduate and graduate students and alumni in all aspects of career planning including exploring career-related interests, applying to graduate or professional schools, and developing effective strategies for the pursuit of full-time employment, internships, or other experiential learning opportunities. The office offers services, resources, and learning-based programs that support the integration of academic and career interests and the development of lifelong career management skills. Career Services also establishes and maintains relationships with employers, graduate and professional schools, and alumni to facilitate their connection to students and to provide a broad range of meaningful opportunities and experiences. For more information visit the Career Services Website.
The career development process is a journey that involves developing and refining your goals over time. The earlier you begin to focus on your career development, the more prepared you will be to make decisions about which path you will choose and to pursue the opportunities available to you. Career counselors are available to help you assess your skills, interests, values, and experiences as you explore career options and to assist you in developing strategies for pursuing your goals. During the application process, you may wish to research the organizations or schools you are considering with regard to policies and practices pertaining to gender identity and expression as well as support services, benefits coverage (if relevant), and resources available. Career counselors can provide resources and information that can help transgender students and alumni identify whether a particular organization or school is the right “fit” for them.
Career Services and the LGBT Center also co-sponsor many events that bring together LGBTQ students and alumni. Kathleen Mannheimer, Senior Associate Director for Career Counseling, is the liaison to the LGBT Center and leads workshops for LGBTQ students which address community-specific concerns on a wide range of career topics. To set up an appointment with Kathleen, please contact Career Services at 8-3325 or schedule online.
There are many religious organizations that are open and welcoming to the LGBT community. Rev. Dr. Alison Boden, Dean of the Office of Religious Life and the Chapel, has been very active in and supportive of LGBT programming on campus. She speaks to students training to be LGBT Peer Educators about the intersections of religion, orientation, and gender identity, and she has spoken at Lavender Graduation. If you have concerns regarding your religion, gender, and/or orientation, she is a great resource and can direct you to safe places for religious or spiritual trans students.
Twice Blessed is a student group for questioning and LGBTQA students of faith. This group meets regularly each semester. For more information, contact lgbt@princeton.edu.
Additional Resources:
Official University policy states that the Department of Athletics does not take race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other defining characteristic into consideration in recruitment, training, or competing. For more information regarding athletic diversity, inclusion, and resources visit the GoPrincetonTigers website.
Princeton University has developed a Student Athlete Wellness Leaders (SAWL) program. Student leaders receive some training about concerns of LGBT athletes and are available for friendly support and concrete knowledge of resources. For more information contact Kelly N. Widener or visit the UHS SAWL homepage.
The LGBT Center organizes a weekly, confidential discussion group for Questioning and LGBT Athletes. For more information, as well as meeting time and location, contact Andy Cofino , Program Coordinator at the LGBT Center.
The LGBT Center has compiled a list of other on-campus resources, including the Women’s Center, the Office of Religious Life, and the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life. To view the entire list and specific contact information, visit the website at http://www.princeton.edu/lgbt/resources/on-campus/.
