2014 Branding Fiasco: UL-Lafayette or UL-L (SBC Reference Guide)

[BayouRichard]

When you have an issue you want solved, you should form a committee of all the stakeholders, get input and buy in from the group so that a consensus is formed. Then and only then can you move forward. Of course the committee must include several from RP group. Otherwise, you have rebellion. That's the problem - NO INPUT from the community.

[CajunWave]

maybe because only about 100 people in a metro area of 200k actually care enough to spend more than a few seconds of thought on it.

most alumni have SLI or USL on thier degrees and still identify the university as such.

very few people outside of louisiana would know of UL-L....whereas most of the nation knows of the "ragin cajuns". so everyone in the administration and most on this board are missing the boat when it comes to effective marketing. three letter statistical abbreviation should be CAJ

Still no word from anyone high in the administration? Is it out of fear or just hope that the fire will die down? Maybe they are content with the fact that people are laughing at the culturally unique univeristy that somehow has an identity problem.

[Hammer58]

Dr. Savoie is taking his marching orders from the politicians and the regents ... he does have an opinion, but not the power to change the name ... after all, his path to the presidency was through politics & appointments and not teaching, research, and academics. He works behind the scenes and did not have anything to give or take.

We are not talking about changing the name of the University. We are talking about athletic references. He had options other than what was used. Even Benson stated that the conference is not bound by state mandates.

Savoie screwed the pooch.

[BayouRichard]

Turbine, can you change the closing to "alumni, students, RCAF members, etc."

And could you create an online petition?

We then circulate the petition via facebook, emails, and the like.

We are our own choir preaching to ourselves. And we are a very small minority of the UL world.

We use the petition to prove to the administration this isn't just about some hardcores on a message board. We need the folks who don't have the emotional, intimate attachment to realize that attachment isn't just about football or athletics. And develop that same emotional , intimate relationship.

Its about a vital economic engine in Lafayette.

While you at how about an impeachment or is that not ok.

[Turbine]

When you have an issue you want solved, you should form a committee of all the stakeholders, get input and buy in from the group so that a consensus is formed. Then and only then can you move forward. Of course the committee must include several from RP group. Otherwise, you have rebellion. That's the problem - NO INPUT from the community.

One of the brilliant things Nelson Schexnayder did when he was UL AD was form a fan based committee that he met with once a month.

Most of the group became members here on RP. I was never involved.

When David Walker became AD he killed the group. Of course he had come straight from Martin Hall.

It was not formally resumed when Scott Farmer took over, but he had tutored under Davud Walker, so it wasn't surprising.

A group of this sort could aid greatly and always trumps one or two brains.

Unfortunately in the current fiasco it would have all been for naught because in this case even the Athletic Dept. was was locked out.

[CajunFan3406]

This is what the revised SBC press release says:

Official Name: University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Nickname: Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
1st Reference: UL Lafayette
Abbreviation: UL-L

This is what the SBC press release SHOULD SAY:

Official Name - The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Nickname - Ragin Cajuns
1st Reference - LOUISIANA
Abbreviation - LU or LA

How could they possible screw this up? Using Louisiana Ragin Cajuns as our Nickname? Really? (And shouldn't this be a moniker and not a nickname?) We had a second shot at this and still blew it. Are these people brainless? As BOP said, 14 years of work to gain the LOUISIANA name lost in a second with this.

If we gain Tier 1 status, don't you want that associated with LOUISIANA and not UL-L? Can't our people walk and chew gum at the same time? We came up with a legal athletic reference in LOUISIANA, which should be our 1st reference with the SBC. Why did we abandon that? Why is our marketing department infusing academic reference (UL Lafayette) with athletic reference (Louisiana)? The SBC is NOT the LaLouisiane magazine which UL Lafayette's us to death in every article. Wasn't the whole point of athletic branding to create the Louisiana identity? And how on earth do you come up with UL-L as our abbreviation? Did marketing have a brain fart that clouded Dr. S' judgement on this? This is all just beyond comprehension.

The marketing department at Martin Hall is obviously extremely disconnected with the SID over on Reinhardt. Or they're just plain stupid. They should have deferred the filling out of this form to McCann and crew.

[Turbine]

maybe because only about 100 people in a metro area of 200k actually care enough to spend more than a few seconds of thought on it.

most alumni have SLI or USL on thier degrees and still identify the university as such.

very few people outside of louisiana would know of UL-L....whereas most of the nation knows of the "ragin cajuns". so everyone in the administration and most on this board are missing the boat when it comes to effective marketing. three letter statistical abbreviation should be CAJ

"CAJ"

California Juco comes to mind

[USL1970]

We are not talking about changing the name of the University. We are talking about athletic references. He had options other than what was used. Even Benson stated that the conference is not bound by state mandates.

Savoie screwed the pooch.

My choice of words was wrong, and good catch ... I should not have said change the "name."

What I meant was using letters in combination that would "imply" that we are the "University of Louisiana"... it has become a political battle of "implication" rather than "athletic branding" ... at least that is the way it appears to me.

Also, I believe that Dr. James Callier has had significant input to those who control Dr. Savoie since he was a major player when there had to be at least two "University of Louisiana" schools.

[BirdofParadise]

Basinbear--I don't think LU is being used as an NCAA statistical abbreviation. LU is what Lamar has always called itself but I believe their abbreviation is LAMR.

To all of you: Several have asked about what this means. The conference made it clear that this was NOT mandated that news services call us this. We (fans) can call ourselves whatever we like and we (media) can use Louisiana if we so choose.

The problem here as I see it is the league is requesting it. And, by doing that, more media will use the dreaded UL-L.

For me THAT is the issue. As I've said earlier, both the University and I have said: Do not call us ULL. Do not call us Lafayette.

Well, there is no difference between ULL and UL-L.

I suggested in my blog that LA perhaps should have been suggested. LAL would have worked as well and would not have caused a firestorm.

A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G but ULL.

[Bigbuf]

Basinbear--I don't think LU is being used as an NCAA statistical abbreviation. LU is what Lamar has always called itself but I believe their abbreviation is LAMR.

To all of you: Several have asked about what this means. The conference made it clear that this was NOT mandated that news services call us this. We (fans) can call ourselves whatever we like and we (media) can use Louisiana if we so choose.

The problem here as I see it is the league is requesting it. And, by doing that, more media will use the dreaded UL-L.

For me THAT is the issue. As I've said earlier, both the University and I have said: Do not call us ULL. Do not call us Lafayette.

Well, there is no difference between ULL and UL-L.

I suggested in my blog that LA perhaps should have been suggested. LAL would have worked as well and would not have caused a firestorm.

A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G but ULL.

Hell Jay....MANY of the abbreviation that have brought up on this board would have worked!

[Bigbuf]

My choice of words was wrong, and good catch ... I should not have said change the "name."

What I meant was using letters in combination that would "imply" that we are the "University of Louisiana"... it has become a political battle of "implication" rather than "athletic branding" ... at least that is the way it appears to me.

Also, I believe that Dr. James Callier has had significant input to those who control Dr. Savoie since he was a major player when there had to be at least two "University of Louisiana" schools.

And I also believe that the supervisors and regents have more input that many people think. BUT...not UL-L. Come on we could have done better.

[Policarp]

Why the stubbornness in not changing this with SBC yesterday or today? A low blow disaster to the most loyal of all alumni but easily correctable. I can not see myself not getting angry every time we have to see that disgusting crap. 14 years of fighting relentlessly.....crushed and our own President is too stubborn to write a 2-3 sentence correction note to SBC & fix this ____.