Although Associated Student Government has received some support for changing the name of Norris University Center, the administration might pose a challenge to the group’s push.
Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis said Thursday he opposes the ASG-proposed Norris name change from “Norris University Center” to “Norris Student Union.”
Banis said he worried ASG members had not considered all the consequences the name change may present for potential donors.
“Even though the Norris name would remain the same, I think the precedent of changing the name of the facilities after they’ve been commemorated is not right,” he said. “More importantly, I haven’t heard any compelling consideration of unintended consequences of changing the name.”
The name change might not be as benign as ASG officers suspect, but rather could damage the Norris expansion campaign, Banis said.
“Right now this is being done with the assumption that it may help with the campaign,” he said. “I have some concerns that just the opposite may be true.”
Despite these concerns, ASG President Rachel Lopez said the group will continue to lobby for the name change.
Lopez said although she understood the concern, the Norris name change differs from other, more controversial changes to the names of other campus locations.
In 1997, NU faced national criticism when it changed the name of Dyche Stadium to Ryan Field.
“This isn’t something that will alienate potential donors,” said Lopez, a Weinberg senior. “That was an actual name change, not an administrative name change — they aren’t really the same issues.”
The resolution proposing a name change to the student center, originally introduced in October, passed at the Nov. 6 ASG Senate meeting. Officers who authored the resolution said it would help Northwestern officials raise the $23 million needed for a Norris expansion.
After senators approved the name change, the Norris Advisory Board passed a similar resolution. The resolutions will be presented to Banis, who ultimately will decide whether or not it will be passed to the Board of Trustees.
Passing through the first two steps is key to showing administration there is wide support for a name change, said Joel Richlin, ASG’s campus public relations chairman.
“We’re really excited (the advisory board passed a similar resolution), because they’re comprised of students, faculty and staff,” said Richlin, a Weinberg senior. “They’re the ones who really operate Norris.”
Members of Norris Advisory Board did not return phone calls Sunday or Monday.
To aid fund-raising efforts, ASG officers have also compiled a packet of student appeals to potential donors. Now Lopez and Richlin are working with the Office of Development staff to polish the packet before it is released to the public.
The report, about 65 pages long, features personalized letters from ASG executive board members, as well as from prominent campus groups such as Dance Marathon and A&O Productions.
Lopez said she expects the final packet to be done by the end of Winter Quarter.
“We want to make sure anything we release wouldn’t be something that would damage the project,” she said. “We’re hoping by mid-quarter we’ll have something that will be presentable to alumni.”
Lopez also said ASG’s next plans for the packet include independently approaching alumni donors before presenting it to the Board of Trustees.
Banis acknowledged Thursday the utility of the packet, but added that Norris expansions were not at the top of his list
“The information that they have gathered will be very useful,” said Banis, adding that the guide would be filed in the existing Norris expansion casebook and that he would like to introduce ASG officers to a serious potential donor when the time comes.
“(Considering any expansions) has been a tough task given the state of the economy,” Banis said. “I have some optimism that when we complete our capital campaign this year we can emphasize Norris in a stand-alone campaign and spotlight it.”
