Grand Forks, N.D. - If you submitted a name during the month of April, it ended up on one of two lists... the first with more than 1,000 potential names, the other, more than 600 pages of names that won't be considered.
Aviators, Blizzard, Explorers and Flames are just a few of the names on the consideration list. As for the names on the other list, they weren't as appropriate. Students we talked with today on campus have mixed reactions.
“The names are good options and they stand true to what North Dakota has to offer.”
“They're really reflective of North Dakota, like the Tundra and the Blizzard.”
From the Arctic Foxes, to the Wombats, nearly 1,200 unique names are eligible for consideration. Today, the vice president for university and public affairs told us they appreciate the participation of the large number of people who sent in suggestions.
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“People have been digging into, diving into the list of names and looking to see what interests them and are beginning to develop opinions about some of their favorites,” said Susan Walton, UND University Affairs.
Walton said they received different kinds of nickname suggestions across the board, but the presence of the "Fighting Sioux" name remains strong. In fact, that single name takes up more than 100 suggestion pages.
“I don't think we can really get rid of the Fighting Sioux, I mean there's so much spirit here,” one student said.
Peter Johnson, the Executive Associate Vice President, said some people disagree with the change, as the Sioux name was in place since the 1930's, but Johnson said he believes other people will adopt a new nickname.
“It kind of depends what we end up with as a nickname I think, but we'll see how that goes and I think over time people will be happy with what we do,” said Peter Johnson, UND Public Relations.
Now, Walton said the Committee has to figure out exactly how they will narrow down the list of names. They've developed a list of attributes to evaluate the list.
“The Nickname Committee will begin the very big job of looking at all those suggested nicknames and narrowing that list down to a much smaller number,” said Walton.
The list of considered names will be reduced to a shorter list that that public will vote on.
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As for the next step, officials said the Nickname Committee will meet tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at Twamley Hall.
