Computer Help Documents

Employees that would like to use a preferred name or nickname in ONID and the OSU Online Directory may make their request through the name change form in OSCAR. Instructions can be found here.

The Office of the Registrar does not enter preferred names or nicknames for students at this time.

ONID Username Changes

ONID usernames are generally only changed when your legal name changes (marriage, divorce, etc) or if your ONID username is obscene.

Initial ONID usernames are formed by using up to seven characters of the last name and appending one or more characters of their first name to form a unique username.

Customers that use ONID Webmail can change their name as it appears on the "From" line of outgoing messages by:

1. Login to Webmail
2. Click on Options then Global Options on the left-hand menu
3. Click on Personal Information
4. Enter your preferred name in the Your full name: field
5. Click the Save Options button

Customers that use their Unix shell accounts to send e-mail can re-configure their text-based email clients (Pine, Mutt, etc) to use a different full name.

This is usually enough since mail sent by Jane Smith, formerly Jane Doe, would go out as follows:

Jane Smith <doej@onid.orst.edu>

Most PC based mailers should have options to specify your name as well as your email address on your messages.

If you really feel that you must change your ONID username also, it can be done. If you use email regularly such a change is not recommended since once the change is made all email sent to your old address will be bounced to the sender addressee unknown (or in some cases received by someone else who has been assigned your relinquished username).

If you still want to change your ONID username, send email to support@onid.orst.edu with the following information:

• Your current ONID username
• The reason you are requesting the change