diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/accounts/admin/ajax/UserAccountsAjaxController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/accounts/admin/ajax/UserAccountsAjaxController.java
index 95114e7fd..55ffce664 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/accounts/admin/ajax/UserAccountsAjaxController.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/accounts/admin/ajax/UserAccountsAjaxController.java
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ public class UserAccountsAjaxController extends VitroAjaxController {
 	private static final Log log = LogFactory
 			.getLog(UserAccountsAjaxController.class);
 
-	private static final String PARAMETER_FUNCTION = "function";
+	private static final String PARAMETER_ACTION = "action";
 
 	@Override
 	protected Actions requiredActions(VitroRequest vreq) {
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public class UserAccountsAjaxController extends VitroAjaxController {
 	protected void doRequest(VitroRequest vreq, HttpServletResponse resp)
 			throws ServletException, IOException {
 		try {
-			String function = vreq.getParameter(PARAMETER_FUNCTION);
+			String function = vreq.getParameter(PARAMETER_ACTION);
 			if ("checkExternalAuth".equals(function)) {
 				new ExternalAuthChecker(this, vreq, resp).processRequest();
 			} else if ("autoCompleteProfile".equals(function)) {
diff --git a/webapp/web/js/account/accountAssociateProfile.js b/webapp/web/js/account/accountAssociateProfile.js
index a168a4c3d..c90532a7d 100644
--- a/webapp/web/js/account/accountAssociateProfile.js
+++ b/webapp/web/js/account/accountAssociateProfile.js
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ var associateProfileFields = {
                     url: associateProfileFields.ajaxUrl,
                     dataType: 'json',
                     data: {
-                        function: "autoCompleteProfile",
+                        action: "autoCompleteProfile",
                         term: request.term,
                         externalAuthId: associateProfileFields.externalAuthIdField.val()
                     }, 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ var associateProfileFields = {
             url: associateProfileFields.ajaxUrl,
             dataType: "json",
             data: {
-                function: "checkExternalAuth",
+                action: "checkExternalAuth",
                 userAccountUri: associateProfileFields.userUri,
                 externalAuthId: associateProfileFields.externalAuthIdField.val()
             },