As of April 1, faculty and staff at Iowa State are able to add pronouns to Iowa State business cards, nametags, desk nameplates and email signatures. nicci port, project director of LGBTQ+ initiatives for the office of Diversity and Inclusion, said this project has been in the works since at least 2010.

According to the Diversity and Inclusion website, pronouns are non-proper nouns that are used to refer to people without using their names. Pronouns are a public way people refer to others, and are often assumed and personal because individuals determine their pronouns, not others.

“There are bigger things to do at Iowa State but this small step will lead to visibility and visibility leads to people talking and when people talk it widens the amount of people I can reach through the different initiatives out of my office, and that makes the real change,” port said.

For business cards, there are a number of paper and color choices, but there is an official format for employees. If indicated on the online form, pronouns are included below the person’s name and in a smaller font. Business cards are printed by ISU Printing and Copy Services, but overall approval of design and information included is facilitated in partnership with the Office of University Marketing.

“When I got my business cards with my pronouns on them, it struck me,” port said. “This is finally a step Iowa State has taken.”

For nametags, there are a number of sizes and options for permanent nametags, but there is an official format. The person’s name is set prominently across the bottom of the nametag. If requested, pronouns are located below the person’s name and in a smaller font. Cyclone Awards and Engraving, located in Ames, is a licensed vendor with access to ISU templates.

Cyclone Awards and Engraving also does nameplates. There is an official format for desk nameplates. If requested, pronouns are located below the person’s name in a smaller font size.

There is an official format for Iowa State when it comes to email signatures. If indicated on the online form, pronouns are located below the person’s name and title. After the signature is generated, the user can either copy it to their email program’s signature or configure their Outlook account to have the generator download it.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion offers 2-inch square pinback pronoun buttons with the Iowa State University wordmark, which students, faculty, staff and community members can get at 2680 Beardshear Hall. There are he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs and fill-in buttons available.

“Being a large institution in the Midwest, recruiting and maintaining LGBTQIA+ faculty and staff is not the easiest thing,” said Brady Hubbard, hall director of Larch Residence Hall and a leader of the LGBTQA+ Faculty Staff Association. “This project is one way to show employees that they are valued no matter what their gender identity or expression is. For our students this also shows that they are valued and welcomed.”

A webpage titled “The Pronoun Project” was also released at the same time as the branded items, which defined pronouns and explained how to use them correctly.

Within a conversation, pronouns are the second most widely-used way people refer to others and the webpage suggests knowing a person’s pronouns unless you plan on using their name every time you mention them, according to the Diversity and Inclusion website.

“Having your pronouns used accurately is as important as having someone remember your name. What do you do when someone calls you the wrong name?,” according to the Diversity and Inclusion website.

Not everyone who presents femininely will respond to she/her/hers, not every masculine-presenting person uses he/him/his and not everyone identifies on a binary of he/him/his or she/her/hers. Some people don’t use pronouns to identify themselves.

“Anytime we can do things to make people feel welcome here at the university, we need to accommodate that.” said Carole Custer, director of University Marketing. “This pronoun project gave us the opportunity to demonstrate to employees that they are valued and their identity is respected.”