Frequently Asked Questions

By filling out this form, your chosen/preferred name will appear on the online campus directory, class rosters, and your Knox ID. Please be aware that your preferred name will also appear on communications from the college to you and your family including Dean's List letters, academic standing letters, and communications from Financial Aid.

If this is a concern for you, please reach out to the Assistant Director of Intercultural Life and LGBTQ+ Advisor Jordan Hurst (jhurst@knox.edu) before filling out this form.

To request this change, please complete this form.

Your legal name is required or necessary in a few areas of the college, including but not limited to: official financial aid documents, payroll, medical records, tax forms, student transcripts, and any other place where the College is mandated to do so by law.

You will get a new Knox College ID card printed with your chosen/preferred name. You also have the option of getting a new picture taken.  The replacement card fee will be waived. You may get a new card one time only. Student Development will facilitate the request on your behalf and notify you when you can pick up your new card.

Knox College E-mail Display Name

To change the name that appears when you send an email from your Knox e-mail, please follow the steps outlined on this page.

Legal Name/Gender Change

Students seeking to change their legal name/gender marker with the College should report to the Registrar's Office with legal documents supporting a name/gender change. Please expect a waiting period before these changes are reflected across our system. Questions about legal name or gender marker change with the College can be directed to Registrar@knox.edu. 

We’re in an ongoing conversation with Health Services and Counseling Services to better support students physically transitioning. Right now we do not offer healthcare related to transition on campus, but are working hand in hand with community partners to put these resources directly into the hands of our students. Check out this pamphlet on LGBTQ+ Healthcare resources in the area to learn about your options.

Lots! In addition to our student organizations, ‘QTPOCC’ and ‘Common Ground,’ Knox Counseling Services often offers an LGBTQ+ support group. These are great ways to find community with other folks who identify as LGBTQ+ in both a social and emotional support setting; Counseling Services also offer one-on-one conversations.

In addition to those formal support systems, we also have a supportive and caring staff across campus, specifically in the Office of Campus Life. They’re happy to talk in-depth about student organization experiences and the housing process.

We’re currently exploring more ways to formalize our faculty and staff support services. If you have a way you’d like to get connected socially or if there is a need related to your LGBTQ+ identity that isn’t being addressed, we want to hear from you! Email Jordan Hurst (she, they) at jhurst@knox.edu

For support systems in place in the Galesburg/West Central Illinois area, check out the local and state groups section of our Get Involved page. 

Our Counseling Services staff is happy to talk with you about the way your identity interacts with your mental health. We have counselors on campus trained specifically to help students cope with issues related to LGBTQ+ identity and mental health. Get in touch with them to schedule an intake appointment and see how we can meet your specific needs. 

This is tricky to answer because we are not just LGBTQ+ folks. Our race, ethnicity, religion, ability level, socio-economic status, and more are going to impact how we experience Knox’s social climate. Knox Campus is, on the whole, a very affirming place to be. We encourage identity exploration and you can see our student body constantly striving to live out our commitment to celebrate diversity. And, college campuses across the country mirror the discussions we have as a nation about identity and belonging. Expect to engage in sometimes difficult dialogues with people of many different views; also know that Knox College is committed to creating and preserving spaces where you feel safe and affirmed.

At Knox, we try to strike a balance in the spaces we host. LGBTQ+ only spaces can feel sacred and healing; they allow LGBTQ+ folks to be seen and understood that other spaces cannot. And, we know that life after Knox will not always present us with access to those LGBTQ+ only spaces. Preparing students for that reality means that our student organizations and large, annual events cannot exist as LGBTQ+ only spaces. However, we often carve out portions of these organization meetings and events that are LGBTQ+ only. The space we carve out typically focuses on processing and identity exploration. We also have an LGBTQ+ small group offered through Counseling Services.

We encourage you to create a wide social network on campus and to advocate for clear boundaries for yourself. This will allow you to create LGBTQ+ only spaces when you need them while keeping you engaged with the larger campus community.