The University of Louisiana? Only if it acts like it...

[ManAboutTown]

_ The name thing is a debacle. In Lafayette UL is the entrenched name. In BR, NOLA, Lake Chuck & Shreveport UL_L is the entrenched name. To the national media we are any number of acronyms. Goggle us and you will get 4-5 different names. This is a problem! I have given up on the UL thing b/c no one knows who I am talking about. If they do, there next comment will be "why do they have so many different names?" For that reason I hate HouCajuns LU idea. That is all we need, another acronym to confuse the hell out of people!

I feel sorry for HoustonCajun and the like b/c they want somthing that will probably never happen. Like it or not we are a school with 5 different names, all being promoted at the same time. _

Metry, you and I are normally on the same page. Your point is completely understood, but forgetting, for the moment, the incompetence of our Admin, couldn't this be handled as follows: Publicize the HELL out of this FINAL name change. Make sure it is heard, seen, read, etc in all corners and crevasses of the state and of the SBC. Pump some RCAF dollars into new merchandise, and hire a marketing firm to right the ship (which will in turn bring dollars back into the University). Yes, it will probably get the "OMG, here OoLaLa goes again", but, considering the success of the RCAF, our Athletic program steps up, has some winning seasons, over a 5 year stretch, and get some people's attention. It's the one, and only way we can beat this thing.
Have a good one pal.

[Just1More]

We are not in some meltdown over our name. We are UL and Louisiana. Just because outside knuckleheads follow the state legally imposed long form doesn't mean jack to me. Our name is not what is holding us back from major men's sports success. We need to get our funding engine red hot, turn the curve on winning, and get more post season play. The only people who are going to donate and support our program already know the name.

We need to get the private system working, get some great low interest monster loans going, and build the new UL athletic empire. If this is not the philosophy of the current administration... shame on them. This is "buying and building time" for our university... UL. (Hummm... low interest rates, low material and labor construction costs... hummm?)

[MetryCajun]

_ Metry, you and I are normally on the same page. Your point is completely understood, but forgetting, for the moment, the incompetence of our Admin, couldn't this be handled as follows: Publicize the HELL out of this FINAL name change. Make sure it is heard, seen, read, etc in all corners and crevasses of the state and of the SBC. Pump some RCAF dollars into new merchandise, and hire a marketing firm to right the ship (which will in turn bring dollars back into the University). Yes, it will probably get the "OMG, here OoLaLa goes again", but, considering the success of the RCAF, our Athletic program steps up, has some winning seasons, over a 5 year stretch, and get some people's attention. It's the one, and only way we can beat this thing.
Have a good one pal. _

I have stated before the only way to claim the Louisiana name is through an official university press release and subsequent marketing campaign. The SID telling Nebraska or the SunBelt office to call us Louisiana is not going to cut it. Anything less than this and we will be having these same conversations 10 years from now. On the LU thing, I am just sick of our constant name changes. Changing to LU would look pretty pathetic in my book.

[ManAboutTown]

_ We are not in some meltdown over our name. We are UL and Louisiana. Just because outside knuckleheads follow the state legally imposed long form doesn't mean jack to me. Our name is not what is holding us back from major men's sports success. We need to get our funding engine red hot, turn the curve on winning, and get more post season play. The only people who are going to donate and support our program already know the name.

We need to get the private system working, get some great low interest monster loans going, and build the new UL athletic empire. If this is not the philosophy of the current administration... shame on them. This is "buying and building time" for our university... UL. (Hummm... low interest rates, low material and labor construction costs... hummm?) _

I agree whole-heartedly. I just think if you marry this blueprint with a publicized announcement, especially considering that the majority of people who matter know all too well about this on-going situation, would solidify a new beginning, and provide a vehicle in order to say "look, we've dealt with this long enough; this is where we are, this is where we're headed." But yes, of course we need success, funding, and marketing. That's understood.

[MetryCajun]

_ We are not in some meltdown over our name. We are UL and Louisiana. Just because outside knuckleheads follow the state legally imposed long form doesn't mean jack to me. Our name is not what is holding us back from major men's sports success. We need to get our funding engine red hot, turn the curve on winning, and get more post season play. The only people who are going to donate and support our program already know the name.

We need to get the private system working, get some great low interest monster loans going, and build the new UL athletic empire. If this is not the philosophy of the current administration... shame on them. This is "buying and building time" for our university... UL. (Hummm... low interest rates, low material and labor construction costs... hummm?) _

Correct! Right now winning is what matters. I honestly believe some people have lost site of what the goal is. If we win 8 game in FB and get Louisiana- Lafayette'ed to death in a bowl game, I for one will not care one bit (unless we get blown out).

[CajunCanaille]

If we are simply trying to go by Louisiana due to the legality of it then we should start printing memorabelia w/ just "L" on it. Something that looks similar to our numbers.

Forgive me....my artistic abilities are lacking.

[DestinCajun]

_ Well, please explain how this was "thought through" since after 9 years, we still don't have a singular identity. Dr. A apparently wanted the name change for academics, which I understand, as it is a vast improvement over Southwestern Louisiana. The fact that he struck a deal to allow ULM's admission into the SBC so we could get the name change (everyone saw that emerging problem from a naming standpoint that ULM continues to fight to this day), took no stance on what we were to be called, our alumni continue to squabble over our name as we are doing here, and 9 years later we still don't have clear direction from Martin Hall as to what we are to be called athletically. We have an athletic department that is starting to push the envelope on UL and Louisiana, but we can't buy UL or Louisiana gear because of our internal name cop, Julie Dronet (doesn't she work under th President, so why isn't she given better direction). We continue to be called by every possible name in the book on a national level. We see one publication like Phil Steele call us Louisiana on our schedule (but Louisiana Lft. on our team page) and we think our identity problem is solved.

We obtained the University of Louisiana name in 1984. Just coincidentally with our Centennial celebration, we opted for a University of Louisiana at Lafayette name by jumping into bed with UL Monroe who today remains our biggest enemy in our identity struggle. Did we think that because we once had the Unversity of Louisiana name for a brief period that everyone would automatically say we deserve the name today, despite the law? I certainly could be wrong, but I see nothing that would change my opinion that this was thought through from an athletic standpoint which is really where the university's identity is derived. If it had been, we wouldn't be having this discussion today. _

We got screwed in 1984 by a rigged state court, everyone without a bias knows that. It was also 25 years ago.

The provisions of the name change law were unquestionably a huge compromise to appease the State people who want no other school to rise up in Louisiana, the McNeese people who want no one else to rise up in Louisiana, and so on and so on.

The fact that we even got the chance at all to go to "The University of Louisiana @ Lafayette" is a a freaking miracle. So, why do you say it was not "thought out"??? A "debacle"?

This is all total BS anyway. Our popular names are "Louisiana" and "UL" and nobody will change that or take it away. It's a purely a matter of self-determination.

Just look at "UAB". They are not "The University of Alabama at Birmingham" or "UA-Birmingham" or "Alabama-Birmingham", they are "UAB".

They are "UAB" because they say so. Of all the choices, they chose "UAB". Story ended.

[CajunCanaille]

_ We got screwed in 1984 by a rigged state court, everyone without a bias knows that. It was also 25 years ago.

The provisions of the name change law were unquestionably a huge compromise to appease the State people who want no other school to rise up in Louisiana, the McNeese people who want no one else to rise up in Louisiana, and so on and so on.

The fact that we even got the chance at all to go to "The University of Louisiana @ Lafayette" is a a freaking miracle. So, why do you say it was not "thought out"??? A "debacle"?

This is all total BS anyway. Our popular names are "Louisiana" and "UL" and nobody will change that or take it away. It's a purely a matter of self-determination.

Just look at "UAB". They are not "The University of Alabama at Birmingham" or "UA-Birmingham" or "Alabama-Birmingham", they are "UAB".

They are "UAB" because they say so. Of all the choices, they chose "UAB". Story ended. _

I don't think that's the same. If you are comparing us to UAB then IMO you are saying we should be called ULL not UL Lafayette or Louisiana Lafayette.

You say our popular names are "Louisiana" and "UL" yet all of our memorabelia says we are "UL Lafayette." Until that changes and people quite wearing things that say "Lafayette" on them the public perception (outside or Lafayette) will be that we are UL Lafayette or Louisiana Lafayette. It's is mostly on our administration to allow vendors to print things that simply say "UL" or "Louisiana" without Lafayette or the 's.

[HoustonCajun]

_ I don't think that's the same. If you are comparing us to UAB then IMO you are saying we should be called UL not UL Lafayette or Louisiana Lafayette.

You say our popular names are "Louisiana" and "UL" yet all of our memorabelia says we are "UL Lafayette." Until that changes and people quite wearing things that say "Lafayette" on them the public perception (outside or Lafayette) will be that we are UL Lafayette or Louisiana Lafayette. It's is mostly on our administration to allow vendors to print things that simply say "UL" or "Louisiana" without Lafayette or the 's. _

You are exactly right and that is my point. After 9 years of this crap, it is time for our new President to either declare us to be Louisiana and UL or drop the charade. Let's quit having this rediculous identity problem. Make the statement, notify the media, print the new gear, and let's move on with it.

[CajunCanaille]

_ You are exactly right and that is my point. After 9 years of this crap, it is time for our new President to either declare us to be Louisiana and UL or drop the charade. Let's quit having this rediculous identity problem. Make the statement, notify the media, print the new gear, and let's move on with it. _

I agree....