Student fights to have preferred name for graduation

Xirrenah Adel Xuricata, early childhood through 6th grade education major, is attempting to apply for graduation with their chosen name. The student reached out to the Registrar’s Office in an effort to have their preferred name on their diploma in time for the fall 2022 commencement.

Xuricata is currently in the process of legally changing their name.

Xuricata previously spoke to the Office of the Registrar and was told to apply with their legal name. The office said they would discuss the issue and get back to Xuricata at a later date. Xuricata was also told to follow up with an email at a later date. Xuricata sent a follow-up email three separate times Sept. 10, 17 and 22 and still has received no response.

Associate Dean of Students Iliana B. Melendez reached out to the Registrar’s office twice (Sept. 21 and 22) with no response. Xuricata reached out to several UH organizations, including The Signal, forwarding previous correspondence with the registrar and other faculty members Sept. 22, calling attention to the situation.

“It is disheartening, disrespectful, unprofessional and quite frankly transphobic that I have not heard anything from the UHCL officials that are supposed to be doing something about this.” Xuricata said in the email. “The UHCL officials that are supposed to care about ALL students. The UHCL officials that are supposed to help me succeed. Actions speak louder than words. I have worked so hard to graduate from the University of Houston- Clear Lake, and I want that experience to be enjoyable. I do not believe that the absence of action from the UHCL officials represent the morals of The University of Houston System.”

Xuricata reached out to several UH organizations, including The Signal, forwarding previous correspondence with the registrar and other faculty members Sept. 22, calling attention to the situation.

Xuricata further wrote in the email that this was not the first time they have had an issue at the university relating to their gender and pronouns.

“I think I identify as a transmasculine student, a nonbinary trans student,” Xuricata said. “To me, it came across as transphobia that the university wanted to sweep it under the rug, that they did not care to even give me the time of day or to let me know we will look into this.”

Xuricata was told that the office would be ordering graduation programs by the end of September for the commencement ceremony in the fall. Xuricata reached out to UH Main Campus for assistance but was told they could not do anything for them being that it was at another campus. Xuricata had also asked Andrea Baldwin, senior lecturer in College of Human Sciences and Humanities to reach out on their behalf to try and get more information.

Baldwin finally heard back from Tina Powellson, interim vice president for Student Affairs, Sept. 23.

“I do believe we will be able to use preferred name on the diploma, graduation, and program, but not transcript until it is made legal,” Powellson said.

These emails were then forwarded to Xuricata so they could be up to date on the situation. Xuricata is under the impression from the language used in the email that it is still not confirmed whether or not they will be able to use their chosen name on the diploma. They also have not heard anything from the registrar’s office themselves, just other UHCL faculty that were involved in email chains regarding the issue. It is now October and the student still has not heard back from the registrar’s office or any other official UHCL offices regarding this matter and it still has not been resolved.

UPDATE: A source’s name was updated to their preferred name.