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

[CajunCanaille]

_ That is where you are wrong. If 99 out of 100 people call me Mike instead of Michael then my name is Mike. Now I can change that by having all of my correspondence/cards say Michael. Over time if all anyone saw or heard was Michael, then it would become my most used name. However, if I responded to emails and the like with Mike, then I would get people calling me by both names.

Right now we get the Lafayette and the extra L because the University promotes those names. Don't believe me, get some correspondence from the University or go to the Union to buy some clothing. _

This is true. On some things the "LAFAYETTE" is written as big as the "UL" or "LOUISIANA." I personally refuse to buy these products but then that leaves me with buying things that say "Ragin' Cajuns" only w/o the presence of Louisiana or UL. I could buy something that says "LOUISIANA'S" but that might be the worst one.

[Just1More]

Guys, we have an official name and that is all that "the president" can legally support on official university documentation. It is not time, nor will it likely ever, to take this issue up with the state... again. We are not going to defy the legal requirements. We have the right to call ourselves just about anything we want... and others can call us whatever they want. The general consensus among students and alumni many years ago, during the battle, was to call ourselves UL. We are not waffling by the chosen name being different than the official name. It is simply our chosen name. I liken our name being "UL" similar to the University of Alabama calling themselves "Bama"... or University of Mississippi calling themselves "Ole Miss". Those names came about over time. They are not criticisms, nor did they replace the official name. The "likeness" is only skin deep... we literally mean what our chosen name implies.

I'm also not offended by outsiders who look up our name and use the longer version. We simply need to take our programs to a higher level of excellence and once that happens, requests to use our chosen name will be honored.

I think our uniforms have been a little better thought out... I think our merchandizing has been a little whacky. I still believe that our best tool for university name "recognizability", nationally, is to keep the uniform and merchandizing "UL Ragin Cajuns" and "Louisiana Ragin Cajuns". That is the way you get the chosen name to slip off tongues of the public outside of Louisiana.

But again... the biggest key is to grow a much stronger athletic system that regularly maintains post-season opportunities. Nothing in sports does more than post-season appearances... eventually the only thing I want to haggle with you guys about is how deep we go in post-season... not whether we go.

[DestinCajun]

_ That is where you are wrong. If 99 out of 100 people call me Mike instead of Michael then my name is Mike. Now I can change that by having all of my correspondence/cards say Michael. Over time if all anyone saw or heard was Michael, then it would become my most used name. However, if I responded to emails and the like with Mike, then I would get people calling me by both names.

Right now we get the Lafayette and the extra L because the University promotes those names. Don't believe me, get some correspondence from the University or go to the Union to buy some clothing. _

The most recent correspondence I have from the university, specifically from Scott Farmer of the ADept, contains two name references - "UL" and "University of Louisiana". That must be who we are.

The fight song says UL. Why would it say UL if we were not UL?



Ragin' Cajuns Fight Song

Fight on, Cajuns, fight on to victory
For the Red and White,
We will sing of triumph and glory,
For our team tonight,
You will hear the rage of the Cajuns,
So let's give a yell, (AHH-YEE)
Hustle up and bustle up and
Fight on to victory - GEAUX U L!



Come on guys, if you want to take the attitude we're doing nothing then say that. Just don't ignore what is actually happening.

[MetryCajun]

_ The most recent correspondence I have from the university, specifically from Scott Farmer of the ADept, contains two name references - "UL" and "University of Louisiana". That must be who we are.

The fight song says UL. Why would it say UL if we were not UL?



Ragin' Cajuns Fight Song

Fight on, Cajuns, fight on to victory
For the Red and White,
We will sing of triumph and glory,
For our team tonight,
You will hear the rage of the Cajuns,
So let's give a yell, (AHH-YEE)
Hustle up and bustle up and
Fight on to victory - GEAUX U L!



Come on guys, if you want to take the attitude we're doing nothing then say that. Just don't ignore what is actually happening. _

I have a multiple shirts with UL Lafayette. My wife has a shirt bought at the game that says "Louisiana Lafayette Football". I get mailers from the University that call us these names. I had 5 out of 6 UL students refer to their University as UL_L or UL Lafayette when I interviewed there.

Why would it say UL Lafayette if we are not UL Lafayette?

[CajunCanaille]

_ Guys, we have an official name and that is all that "the president" can legally support on official university documentation. It is not time, nor will it likely ever, to take this issue up with the state... again. We are not going to defy the legal requirements. We have the right to call ourselves just about anything we want... and others can call us whatever they want. The general consensus among students and alumni many years ago, during the battle, was to call ourselves UL. We are not waffling by the chosen name being different than the official name. It is simply our chosen name. I liken our name being "UL" similar to the University of Alabama calling themselves "Bama"... or University of Mississippi calling themselves "Ole Miss". Those names came about over time. They are not criticisms, nor did they replace the official name. The "likeness" is only skin deep... we literally mean what our chosen name implies.

I'm also not offended by outsiders who look up our name and use the longer version. We simply need to take our programs to a higher level of excellence and once that happens, requests to use our chosen name will be honored.

I think our uniforms have been a little better thought out... I think our merchandizing has been a little whacky. I still believe that our best tool for university name "recognizability", nationally, is to keep the uniform and merchandizing "UL Ragin Cajuns" and "Louisiana Ragin Cajuns". That is the way you get the chosen name to slip off tongues of the public outside of Louisiana.

But again... the biggest key is to grow a much stronger athletic system that regularly maintains post-season opportunities. Nothing in sports does more than post-season appearances... eventually the only thing I want to haggle with you guys about is how deep we go in post-season... not whether we go. _

I'm sure Mississippi had no legal opposition when they started using Ole Miss and they were able to print in on any and everything they wanted to. Same goes for Alabama. There is no legal issue involved. Unfortunately for us it is a legal issue that is holding us up. I'm sure if we wanted to call ourselves "The Lou" or, even though it's a joke by some, Ooh La La, we would have no oposition from ULM, LSU, LaTex, etc. That because they are not illegal. People keep printing the law on here stating that we are able to use "Louisiana" but not "UL" w/o the "Lafayette" but there must be something we are missing because we don't do it. We are still either using the "Lafayette" or adding the 's.

I do agree with you that recognition will come with post season sucess but what will they call us when we do have that success? I'm willing to bet that the announcer and the television will say UL L or some sort of variation. I'm sure our SID and AD will tell them what to call us but it will be up to Julie Dronet to say that they MUST call us "UL" or "Louisiana."

[racajun54]

_ 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. _

I said earlier that I have just accepted the Louisiana Lafayette monkier. If you want an identity then just go with University of Louisiana at Lafayette or ULL. That is what ESPN and other media outlets are going to use so we might as well just accept it and move on. If you go with ULL alone that will eliminate any confusion. You can then sell merchanise under one name. I know it sounds small time but like I posted earlier that doesn't bother UCLA!!! You have to earn the respect and calling ourselves the University of Louisiana is not going to give us instant respect. Money is not going to roll in because of a name you have to earn the respect. Harvard and Yale were looked upon as small time by the great universities of Europe. Over time they earned the respect and the funding they enjoy today. The complaining of our name for over 20 years has produced what? NOTHING the name is the same in fact there is even more confusion. We keep trying to force the name down people's throat maybe we need to change tactics and back off. Who knows over time that extra L may get dropped.

[HoustonCajun]

_ I said earlier that I have just accepted the Louisiana Lafayette monkier. If you want an identity then just go with University of Louisiana at Lafayette or UL. That is what ESPN and other media outlets are going to use so we might as well just accept it and move on. If you go with UL alone that will eliminate any confusion. You can then sell merchanise under one name. I know it sounds small time but like I posted earlier that doesn't bother UCLA!!! You have to earn the respect and calling ourselves the University of Louisiana is not going to give us instant respect. Money is not going to roll in because of a name you have to earn the respect. Harvard and Yale were looked upon as small time by the great universities of Europe. Over time they earned the respect and the funding they enjoy today. The complaining of our name for over 20 years has produced what? NOTHING the name is the same in fact there is even more confusion. We keep trying to force the name down people's throat maybe we need to change tactics and back off. Who knows over time that extra L may get dropped. _

Harvard was never Harvard University at Cambridge or Harvard-Cambridge or HUC. We all agree that winning needs to happen and we need to be successful. The point I and others are making is that when success does come, it needs to come under the right name. The longer we are entrenched as UL L and Louisiana Lafayette, the harder it will be to become recognized as Louisiana and UL or LU or L. Our complaining is because our administration takes no positive stance one way or another. It lets our SID use Louisiana and UL on releases, then Julie Dronet won't let us use that on caps and t shirts. The inconsistency and lack of a policy are what are killling us. We won't get instant success from being known as Louisiana and UL. But, when success does come, we will achieve it with a clear identity of who we are and with a name that is more reflective of our university.

[CajunCanaille]

_ Harvard was never Harvard University at Cambridge or Harvard-Cambridge or HUC. We all agree that winning needs to happen and we need to be successful. The point I and others are making is that when success does come, it needs to come under the right name. The longer we are entrenched as UL L and Louisiana Lafayette, the harder it will be to become recognized as Louisiana and UL or LU or L. Our complaining is because our administration takes no positive stance one way or another. It lets our SID use Louisiana and UL on releases, then Julie Dronet won't let us use that on caps and t shirts. The inconsistency and lack of a policy are what are kiLing us. We won't get instant success from being known as Louisiana and UL. But, when success does come, we will achieve it with a clear identity of who we are and with a name that is more reflective of our university. _

Well said and I agree 100%

[Cajunsmike]

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.

There has been some progress in recent weeks in regards to how the Sun Belt office and other conference schools refer to us. Of course it may not ever occur with the instate SBC schools.

[DestinCajun]

There has been some progress in recent weeks in regards to how the Sun Belt office and other conference schools refer to us. Of course it may not ever occur with the instate SBC schools. _

Of course there has been major progress and it continues as evidenced by the numerous examples several of us have provided. Having said that, I have no reason to expect attitudes at "the Advocate" or with the Lake Charles and Monroe crowds to ever change. Won't happen so why sweat it.

[Turbine]

Of course there has been major progress and it continues as evidenced by the numerous examples several of us have provided. Having said that, I have no reason to expect attitudes at "the Advocate" or with the Lake Charles and Monroe crowds to ever change. Won't happen so why sweat it.

The doughnut around UL will be a hard nut to crack, but beyond that the world is UL's oyster.
igeaux.mobi

[racajun54]

_ Harvard was never Harvard University at Cambridge or Harvard-Cambridge or HUC. We all agree that winning needs to happen and we need to be successful. The point I and others are making is that when success does come, it needs to come under the right name. The longer we are entrenched as UL L and Louisiana Lafayette, the harder it will be to become recognized as Louisiana and UL or LU or L. Our complaining is because our administration takes no positive stance one way or another. It lets our SID use Louisiana and UL on releases, then Julie Dronet won't let us use that on caps and t shirts. The inconsistency and lack of a policy are what are kiLing us. We won't get instant success from being known as Louisiana and UL. But, when success does come, we will achieve it with a clear identity of who we are and with a name that is more reflective of our university. _

I guess I am going to have to explain this a little better. Its not about the name its about earning a respect no matter what you call yourself. My point about Harvard and Yale wasn't about the name its about respect and reputation which you earn over a long period of time. So many people on here believe that some how if we are called the University of Louisiana we will automatically gain that respect. Well that's not the way it works. This isn't McDonald's were you just drive up and get what you want. You have to earn it so quit worrying about the name. Accept UL/L and move on toward gaining respect not just in athletics but in the most important area and what a university is for academics. So many people associated with UL/L spend way too much time on the name and not on what can make the university better in all areas. If they put this much effort into athletics as they do with the name the football team would go 12-0 and the basketball team would win the national championship. ULL should just go with UL/L on everything and worry about more important matters.