The Task Force holding a virtual town hall meeting last month. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student.

The UND Nickname and Logo Process Recommendation Task Force is putting the final touches on a plan that includes creating a new 15-person task force in charge of selecting a nickname and logo.

“The draft recommendation is that a new task force be named and that they actually be charged with choosing a new nickname and logo, including the option for remaining ‘North Dakota,’” UND spokesperson Peter Johnson said.

If approved, this new task force would include five alumni, two current students, one UND faculty member, one UND staff member, two current athletes, one donor, one community member or friend of UND and two people from the athletic department. In addition, two members of the current task force would be appointed to assist the new task force.

The inclusion of members from these backgrounds was influenced by the virtual town hall meetings held last November and by an online survey, both of which asked who should be stakeholders and how long the process of choosing a new nickname and logo should take.

“The basic response was do it as soon as you can do it, but do it right,” Johnson said.

While the university isn’t asking for nickname suggestions as of yet, this hasn’t stopped the public from sending them in.

“We decided that we would take those suggestions and catalog them,” Johnson said. However, they don’t know what they’re going to do with them, he said.

Documents detailing the plan have been handed in to the University & Public Affairs office for final copy editing before being turned in to President Robert Kelley.

“The task force is nearing its end,” Johnson said.

Rising costs

Vice President for University & Public Affairs Susan Walton recently responded to a request from the House Education Committee for financial data.

According to an email sent by Walton, the estimated cost of going without a nickname is $106,600 spread out over two years.

The price of going without a nickname has affected royalties UND receives from the sales of university-related merchandise.

At the end of 2014, the task force had cost the university a total of $126,262. Royalties went from $177,877 in 2006 to a high of $691,774 in 2012, but lowered to $174,390 for the first three quarters of 2014.

“There is some cost to not doing anything,” Johnson said.

Suspension

A bill that would have caused UND to wait another two and a half years before adopting a new nickname and logo was recently voted down by the House of Representatives.

Members voted 21-62 on the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot.

The Legislature previously placed a three-year moratorium on choosing a new nickname for UND, which expires this month.

Jamie Hutchinson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].