Obviously you're trying to turn this thread into a flamer's rant. I guess researching the topic take a little too much effort.
There is a lot that has happened over that last 30 years concerning the name and the significance of changing it. First off, we are second to LSU in enrollment. Is that big enough for you?
The history of the name, the short version:
USL was officially changed to UL back in 1984. Because of District Judge William H. Brown (a bias judge and LSU graduate) the name was changed back after one year. The point is that LSU doesn't want competition within the state in anything and we actually pose a threat. Because of all this our backwards minded Legislature passed the "LSU Rule" in 1995 which required that at least two state universities change their name at the same time using the (at city) designation. This in effects makes LSU the only "Flagship" school.
Most states have two systems with each system a Flagship school. The Flagship school is normally the largest of it's respective system. The fact is that WE ARE NOT IN LSU's SYSTEM.
The point is that we should be the flagship of our University Louisiana system and we are excelling in many areas besides enrollment and sports here are just a few recent recognitions:
"Best 378 Colleges" 2014, The Princeton Review
No. 4 in the U.S. for Social Mobility, 2013 Washington Monthly
"Best 295 Business Schools" 2014, The Princeton Review
"Best Colleges 2014," top 281 national universities (tier 2), U.S. News & World Report college rankings
"2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll."
No. 10 among research universities for percentage of research and development expenditures funded by business, National Science Foundation September 2013 Report.
We are LOUISIANA.