Syracuse University community members will be able to enter their preferred names on MySlice beginning at the start of the spring semester.

The function will be available on MySlice on Jan. 3 and is the main feature in the university’s new Preferred or Chosen Name Policy. Preferred or chosen names will appear in MySlice class and grade rosters and all places where a name is used in the Blackboard Learning Management System.

Preferred names will not appear on other types of records, including all official correspondence and financial aid documents, “due to operational and legal reasons,” according to an SU News release.

SU’s Student Association has advocated for a preferred name policy since November 2015, with work spearheaded by Keelan Erhard, co-chair of the Student Life Committee. SA has pushed for the policy with help from the LGBT Resource Center, Information Technology and Services and the registrar office.

“I’m very excited about this policy being implemented at Syracuse University. We’re joining a growing number of universities and colleges implementing similar policies that acknowledge and validate the complexity of people’s identities and the importance of self-identification,” Tiffany Gray, director of the LGBT Resource Center, said in the news release. “We’ve heard from many members of the University community, especially students, and this supports our efforts in making Syracuse University a more inclusive campus where all feel welcomed.”