SGA Senate Sets Date for Vote on Changing the Name of UNC Charlotte

The SGA Senate has repeatedly worked throughout this year at establishing a method for dealing with the issue of changing the name of UNC Charlotte to the University of Charlotte. That method was decided upon last Thursday when the final version of the SGA Name Change Resolution was finally ratified by the Student Senate and passed on the President Ritchie.

Student Body President Justin Ritchie, who had already vetoed the resolution three times, worked with the senators behind the latest iteration of the legislation to ensure that he didn't have to veto it a fourth time. Now that he has signed, the resolution will be sent off to the numerous stakeholders enumerated in the mandates portion of the legislation. 

 The resolution calls for a vote from the student body to be taken on the official name of UNC Charlotte next Fall. The polls will open to registered students on 8am November 10^th, and will close at 5pm on November 17^th. That vote will be held as the quantified opinion of the student body on the issue of the name of the university. 

 The contents of the resolution: 

 

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Student Government Association

44^rd Legislative Assembly 6^th Student Senate

March 7^th, 2008

SA008

 

Title:                   Charlotte Name Change Resolution

Introduced By:              Darren Moorehead, Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee

Drafted By:          Darren Moorehead, Chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee

Sponsors:             Darren Moorehead, Kelly Sheets, Jacob Pierce, Paul Haifley, Lance Wolfson, Korey Lockett, Jason Feltis

Signatory:            Jessica Green

 

 

Recognizing that The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is stuck in a nearly insurmountable, perpetual identity crisis due to its name providing the perception of a small, regional community college, and is abbreviated as ‘UNCC’ in nearly all citations by the media and citizens of North Carolina, even including those in its home city of Charlotte,

 

Aware  that there is a strong sense of confusion with regards to the school’s name that decreases the value of every degree awarded to University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduates due to the acronym ‘UNC’ being instantly attributed to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,

 

Recognizing that the ‘UNC’ prefix will always cause UNC Charlotte to have a branch campus feel due to this attribution of the acronym,

 

Also aware that The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is receiving undue benefit from nearly every accomplishment that The University of North Carolina at Charlotte achieves, such as famous alumni in the sports and entertainment field who are credited as graduates of ‘UNC’, and in interviews many recent graduates are asked about the Tarheel-Blue Devil rivalry, spawned from an incorrect assumption that they graduated from Chapel Hill,

 

Considering that if The University of North Carolina at Charlotte were to change its name to, or brand itself as,  ‘The University of Charlotte’, the university’s reputation as a world-class research institution would begin to grow exponentially, and UNC Charlotte would be able to distinguish itself and compete for the most highly motivated and brightest students on a national level,

 

Aware that the UNC system is the only system in the nation that has a mixed naming standard (e.g. East Carolina University is not UNC Greenville, but is still a part of the UNC system), and that is severely impacting every institution in the system,

 

Taking into consideration that the University of North Carolina system Board of Governors has allowed Chapel Hill to brand itself as “UNC,” while allowing other institutions to enter into the system without forcing them to change their names to incorporate the prefix ‘UNC’,

 

Stressing that UNC Charlotte will remain a strong member of the highly prestigious University of North Carolina system,

 

Understanding that other institutions across the nation which belong to prestigious state systems have branded themselves under a different name in order to allow a powerful, all-encompassing identity to be developed, examples of this include, but are not limited to, The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (branded as Virginia Tech) and The State University of New York at Buffalo (branded as University at Buffalo)

 

Noting with immense concern that the acronym /prefix “UNC” is trademarked by UNC Chapel Hill.

 

Further noting that if this is delayed much longer, it will put a permanent scar on the face of this institution,

 

I.              Requests that Chancellor Dubois appear before the Student Senate and discuss the prospects of changing the name of the university by the end of March 2008,

II.            Further requests that a question be placed on a special election ballot in Fall 2008 asking students the following question: “Would you be in favor of changing the name of ‘The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’ to ‘The University of Charlotte?’,

III.         Establishes that the poll will open at 8am on November 10^th, and closing at 5pm on November 17^th,, and will be open to all currently enrolled students with a NinerNET ID,

IV.        Asserts that the results of this poll will be deemed the official student opinion on the prospect of changing the name of this institution,

 

 

 

 ______________________________                       ______________________________

                 Justin Ritchie                                                                   Jessica Green

       President of the Student Body                                            President Pro Tempore

 

 

Mandates:   Erskine Bowles, President of the UNC System

                        Jim Phillips, Chairman of the UNC Board of Governors

                        Dr. Phillip Dubois, Chancellor of the University

Ruth Shaw, Chair of the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees

                        Dr. Arthur Jackson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Joan Lorden, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Elizabeth Hardin, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs

Niles Sorensen, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs

Stephen Mosier, Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations

David Dunn, Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Community Affairs

Dr. Michele Howard, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Mark Shropshire, UCIT Computer System Administrator

Pat McCrory, Mayor of Charlotte

Mike Easley, Governor of North Carolina

Judy Rose, Charlotte Athletic Director
All members of the UNC System Board of Governors

All members of the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees

All members of the Charlotte City Council

All members of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners

                        Represenative Martha B. Alexander (State House District 106)

                        Represenative Becky Carney (State House District 102)

                        Represenative Tricia Ann Cotham (State House District 100)

                        Represenative W. Pete Cunningham (State House District 107)

                        Represenative Beverly M. Earle (State House District 101)

                        Represenative Jim Gulley (State House District 103

                        Represenative Ric Killian (State House District 105)

                        Represenative Ruth Samuelson (State House District 104)

                        Represenative Drew Saunders (State House District 99)

                        Represenative Thom Tillis (State House District 98)

                        Senator Daniel G. Clodfelter (State Senate District 37)

                        Senator Charlie Smith Dannelly (State Senate District 38)

                        Senator W. Edward (Eddie) Goodall (State Senate District 35)

                        Senator Malcolm Graham (State Senate District 40)

                        Senator Robert Pittenger (State Senate District 39)

The Members of the A3 Design Team that are working on the branding for our university

Kile Blair (University Alumnus)

 

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