That partly explains a perplexing issue I have with my students. For example, let's say a student named Fred Smith emails me, but then signs his name as "Alex

That partly explains a perplexing issue I have with my students. For example, let's say a student named Fred Smith emails me, but then signs his name as "Alex Harrison." And his self-selected email address is alexrogers@school.edu. I'm not sure if it's a trend or a culture thing to use multiple names and last names, but it gets a bit confusing at times.