How are they confused?

[Frenchie35]

We have been informing them on how we are to be called at our athletic events for some time now. They just refuse to go by our wishes. It took years of use and understanding by the sports media to call these other school by what they wanted.......One memo should have been enough......One slap behind the head by my teacher (Christian Brothers-Cathedral High) was enough for me to get the message......

WE ARE LOUISIANA: "There is confusion among the national sports organizations as how to refer to the Ragin' Cajuns." Our official name is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but much like our opponents around the country, we simply go by Louisiana when referring to our athletic programs. It is the same situation at the Universities of Texas (at Austin), Tennessee (at Knoxville) and California (at Berkeley), but years of use and understanding by the sports media has led to each of those schools to have their athletic monikers being simplified and accepted nationally. Although we proudly refer to our University with its full title for academic purposes, we ask that you use Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns or some combination of those terms, when talking about our athletic teams.

[Turbine]

If UL academics went by the official name this wouldn't be a problem.

Instead they insist on a confusing nickname with UL-Lafayette.

When you have athletics and academics both using nicknames, confusion will reign.

Academics should not be allowed to use a nickname.

jmo

[BayouRichard]

Thanks for the clarification. I have read many name threads and will be in a position to influence someone on what they call us in public. I would like a list of what is not acceptable. My main one is NOT ULL. I am speaking of our football team - Not academics

[Frenchie35]

If UL academics went by the official name this wouldn't be a problem.

Instead they insist on a confusing nickname with UL-Lafayette.

When you have athletics and academics both using nicknames, confusion will reign.

Right Turb, but can't someone with a small brain siphor that and come up with the right answer.......all the excuses are a bunch of crap. The media (espn) just refuses to call us "Louisiana" at football games. Someone has to face them and ask the question, "will you call us "Louisiana" and if not, why? Writing them letters and a memo is not getting it done. If they every come and visit the Crew de Chew next year I will do the honors and see what answer they will give.

[angeleast]

Agreed Turb, we create our own slippery slope !!!!!

[HoustonCajun]

If UL academics went by the official name this wouldn't be a problem.

Instead they insist on a confusing nickname with UL-Lafayette.

When you have athletics and academics both using nicknames, confusion will reign.

Academics should not be allowed to use a nickname.

jmo

I just received the latest issue of La Louisiana. It is a fine publication, but certainly does UL Lafayette us to death. However, we are using the official name academically, so I guess this works. Then again, why is our academic university website Louisiana.com and not ULLafayette.com?

What I don't understand is the last issue was all about Branding and athletically calling ourselves Louisiana, yet throughout all articles on athletics in this latest issue, UL Lafayette is still used. Not once do I remember seeing athletics referred to as Louisiana. We remain our own worse enemy. We can't seem to even get consistency in what we brand ourselves internally, so how are we going to get others to do it?

I don't understand what/why happened at the UL game where we gave up Louisiana? I wonder what is being done, if anything, to get the NO Bowl to call us Louisiana. Don't they get the same message that the media gets on our preferred name usage which someone just posted? We are their biggest attraction and attendance maker for the NO Bowl. We should have some clout in requesting use of Louisiana, but will we use it?

[Turbine]

I just received the latest issue of La Louisiana. It is a fine publication, but certainly does UL Lafayette us to death. However, we are using the official name academically, so I guess this works.

That's just it though, claiming a location based nickname as the "Official" academic name, doesn't work.

Official names should be about "who" you are not "where" you are.

jmo

[raoul]

We have been informing them on how we are to be called at our athletic events for some time now. They just refuse to go by our wishes. It took years of use and understanding by the sports media to call these other school by what they wanted.......One memo should have been enough......One slap behind the head by my teacher (Christian Brothers-Cathedral High) was enough for me to get the message...(...Sounds like Brother Leo!!)
WE ARE LOUISIANA: "There is confusion among the national sports organizations as how to refer to the Ragin' Cajuns." Our official name is the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but much like our opponents around the country, we simply go by Louisiana when referring to our athletic programs. It is the same situation at the Universities of Texas (at Austin), Tennessee (at Knoxville) and California (at Berkeley), but years of use and understanding by the sports media has led to each of those schools to have their athletic monikers being simplified and accepted nationally. Although we proudly refer to our University with its full title for academic purposes, we ask that you use Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns or some combination of those terms, when talking about our athletic teams.

Sounds like Brother Leo!

[fanof71]

Most of my recent posts have been about the name issue. Turbine is right, the confusion starts with differences between the book guys and the jocks. However, since I live where I do, I see press releases and news stories (non sports) come out of UNC-Chapel Hill. That is always used in the first paragraph. After that point its usage is normally UNC-Medical, UNC-English, UNC-Business, etc. Athletics, of course, always just UNC.

The direction for name usage do's and don't come directly from the University's Communication and Marketing office.
http://communicationsandmarketing.lo...-us/who-we-are
they are charged with all things of the name issue, branding, web, etc. Honestly, as I've said before, if past performance is an indication of future results, as far as the name issue, is a fail. What will it take ESPN to change?
I learned years ago that the best way to solve a problem is to have a FACE TO FACE meeting. There are so many layers to ESPN that sending emails ain't going to work. In fact, ESPN has a web page designed for people to alert ESPN to any mistake or on-air issue they may see. I'll try to find that and post it.
I hate the continued use of Louisiana-Lafayette on air and on screen by espn. There is no such institution in the usa with this abomination as its name. Yet, ESPN continues with its usage. Trademark Louisiana-Lafayette, deny anyone any use of Louisiana-Lafayette, and the next time ESPN uses it, take them to court. That will get their attention.

[STPacronym]

If UL academics went by the official name this wouldn't be a problem.

Instead they insist on a confusing nickname with UL-Lafayette.

When you have athletics and academics both using nicknames, confusion will reign.

Academics should not be allowed to use a nickname.

jmo

It is "UL Lafayette" with no hyphen...no? And it is an abbreviation of the full name, not a nickname. I could be wrong here, but that is my understanding.

[Frenchie35]

Sounds like Brother Leo!

In the forties and fifties it sounded like everyone of them. (1944-1954). Now that you know old I am,......Roaul, were you there, and when?......

[Turbine]

It is "UL Lafayette" with no hyphen...no? And it is an abbreviation of the full name, not a nickname. I could be wrong here, but that is my understanding.

UL could stand for Underwriter Laboratories (how would you know?) and Lafayette is where you are at, not who you are.

Think of it like this; Lafayette is equal to a given name and Louisiana is the surname.

John Smith is a proper name, but if he goes by John S. it becomes a nickname because no one will ever know who he really is.

"University of Louisiana" is equal to Smith, and while very common it isn't as common as John which is equal to Lafayette. A detective could find a J. Smith before he could find a John S.

Both are caricatures of the real name, so in that regard an abbreviation is very much a nickname.

J.R. is a nickname, it doesn't matter that it is an abbreviation, it's a nickname. I know because I owned it during the Dallas years. Guess what, none of my friends from that era know who I am or how to contact me.

So when you have a University using a "location" nickname and an athletic department using a "who you are" nickname, outside sources don't stand a chance on getting it right.

ps Who you are is more important than where you are, so in that regard athletics got it right.

jmo