(Yet Another) Name Thread

[HoustonCajun]

UDA?

No, UA, University of Acadiana, or AU, Acadiana University.

[Ragin9221]

Since we going out on a limb, I say don't mess with LA and we just go with Ana it could be used for Louisiana and Acadiana, just like Alabama uses Bama.

I wasn't agreeing with you on LA which to me looks like we are abbreviating Los Angeles. I was just saying it is time to get rid of UL-Laf, ULL or any other reference for UL- Lafayette and stick with abbreviations that just reference Louisiana which we do agree upon.

Now I do like ULA, but under the LSU rule ULA is not legal.

[Ragin9221]

If the University decides that LA is how you reference University of Louisiana at Lafayette athletically good role with it. No other abbreviations should be acceptable by the University.

[HoustonCajun]

If the University decides that LA is how you reference University of Louisiana at Lafayette athletically good role with it. No other abbreviations should be acceptable by the University.

Taken from Ole Miss Game Notes on page 2. Look at how Ole Miss says what is acceptable usage of their name. It is on a pdf file, so I can't copy and pace, nor can I X-out the way they did it. It is simple, clear, and leaves no doubt about what to call them.

OLE MISS REBELS STYLE GUIDE

Name

Ole Miss (preferred)
University of Mississippi
Mississippi - X-out as not acceptable

Nickname

Rebels


Taken from LOUISIANA Game Notes - we don't call it a Style Guide and it is lost on page 4 with no heading. It is not easily found. It says:

WE ARE LOUISIANA

There is confusion among the national sports organizations as how to refer to the Louisiana 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.
Although we proudly refer to our University with its full title for academic purposes, we ask that Louisiana, Ragin' Cajuns or Cajuns be used to refer to us athletically.


Also, our Game Notes used to say LOUISIANA Game Notes, very similar to how Ole Miss formats theirs. Now, our Game Notes have a huge RAGIN CAJUNS on the left side emphasized and a very small Louisiana on the right half of the page. The entire Game Notes front page is horribly laid out.

This lends to what appears to be a disturbing trend that we are shifting to this year. Ragin Cajuns is now becoming the prominent logo we use with a seemingly de-emphasis on the LOUISIANA Ragin Cajuns logo in all sports. Look at Ole Miss Game Notes and our Game Notes for the Ole Miss game vs. last year's Arkansas game (hope the links work - taken from CajunDreDog's Game Info Center and RaginCajuns.com website).

Ole Miss Game Notes

Game Notes at Ole Miss (Sept. 13)

Game Notes at Arkansas (Aug. 31)

[Tex-Mex Cajun]

Let it go Bro!!!

[CajunRebel]

There is the past, past, as in what happened in 1984 and in 2000 with the name change that likely will not be able to be changed. I agree, not much point in rehashing it except to keep everything in perspective because many of the subsequent decisions are confounding. Then there is the very recent past with a La Louisiane edition on branding that was abandoned shortly thereafter. A brand name has value and can add prestige to the university with national recognition. The inability to have a firm policy on our brand leads to the multiple variations in use, not to mention the UL X identity that some tie us to academically and athletically with ULM. Use of our Louisiana brand seems to be maintained in an on-again, off-again mode that is perplexing even to us diehard UL fans. I have expressed my concerns in great detail to Dr. S with no response. This year is our 30th anniversay since the 1984 University of Louisiana name change and graduating class. After 30 years, we are still consumed with an identity crisis. Just look at another thread on this board with a UL alumnus/LSU grad student who refuses to recognize his own university as Louisiana. We are the only university in the country seemingly required by everyone from individuals to media to use only its legal name in all athletic matters. This is a state-wide as well as national phenomenon. UL is smack dab in the middle of the strongest economic and fastest growing city/Acadiana region with arguably the most powerful political delegation in the state, yet appears to have little leverage in getting this name debacle corrected. We walk on egg shells around our name issue while an anemic ULM manipulates us and LA Tech proclaims itself the far superior university and Flagship of North Louisiana, while mocking us for who they say we pretend to be. This is a problem that will never go away unless/until it is properly and fully addressed and a permanent position/solution stated. Just my opinion.

I'm late to the party but I couldn't agree more with this. This name thing has been a fiasco of epic proportions. This magical day where everyone refers to us as the University of Louisiana ain't coming. Time for Plan B.

[cajunfan337]

Let it go Bro!!!

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[UL_Cajuns]

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+1

[Oiler]

During the pre-game of the UNT/La Tech game last night, we were given a new name by the announcers. They repeated called us Laff-I-ette as they showed highlights of the bludgeoning that Tech administered to us last week. They weren't saying Louisiana Laff-I-ette, just Laff-I-ette. I don't think they were being sarcastic, I think it was just their attempt to speak a little Cajun. I didn't care for it though. This has not been a fun week to be a Cajun fan.

[Hammer58]

During the pre-game of the UNT/La Tech game last night, we were given a new name by the announcers. They repeated called us Laff-I-ette as they showed highlights of the bludgeoning that Tech administered to us last week. They weren't saying Louisiana Laff-I-ette, just Laff-I-ette. I don't think they were being sarcastic, I think it was just their attempt to speak a little Cajun. I didn't care for it though. This has not been a fun week to be a Cajun fan.

We brought it on ourselves. The administration started it with the hyphen memo and then compounded it with the "fill in the blank" PA call. Then the game last week was the turd in the punchbowl to provide even more opportunity to rub salt in the wound.

[Turbine]

We brought it on ourselves. The administration started it with the hyphen memo and then compounded it with the "fill in the blank" PA call. Then the game last week was the turd in the punchbowl to provide even more opportunity to rub salt in the wound.

The Battle for the Name is the best recruiting tool UL academics has going right now.

Yet some with Martin Hall Marketing are content to curl up and become known as Lafayette II.

[Ragingolfer]

Hi, I'm a new poster and live in lafayette. I have worked at several universities across the state, and just wanted to give you my non flaming opinion on using Louisiana or UL.
For me I have never opposed ULL using UL for athletics. The problem I have is academics which for an university is inherently linked. This state is currently home to 3 tier 1 universities. Those universities are Tulane, LSU, and La Tech. None of those schools have a regional identifier and two of them using Louisiana in their name. I think that it shows bad on our state for a school without a tier 1 ranking to use the full state name. It is about academics and state prestige, not on some grand plan to hate on ULL.
In fact if ULL was to break the tier 1 rankings I would have no issue calling it UL and if the became higher ranked than Tulane I would call the BLU (the best university in Louisiana) but until such time I can not get behind it.
If I was an Acadiana legislator I would introduce a bill at the legislator that stated that all tier 1 universities that maintain that ranking for x years has the ability to change their official name to include the Louisiana with no regional affiliation. I bet you could get full support for that, and then it would be up to the students and administration to achieve that goal.
TL;DR: ULL has to improve academically to become UL. And once they do, which it appears they are on the right path, then they can become UL. Until then I don't want an academically inferior university using Louisiana without a regional identifier.