They're trying to put an "NJ" in the Rutgers logo

[Bobby]

http://lioninoil.blogspot.com/2007/05/rutg...-jersey-ok.html

Rutgers. It's not a state, nor a town. It's the state university of New Jersey, with a 50,000 strong student body. And Rutgers has been getting its share of publicity lately. The football team has been popping up on national TV lately, and went 11-2 last season. The said team also posted the best NCAA Academic Performance Rate (APR) or any state university. Many others were educated on the existence of Rutgers with the whole Don Imus affair last month.

But do people really know Rutgers? Do they even know where it is? In a state that was once called "a keg tapped at both ends" by Benjamin Franklin, state lawmakers are stepping to make sure that they will.

A New Jersey Assembly committee Thursday approved a resolution requesting Rutgers redesign the "R" logo to include the letters "NJ," a move designed to give the state credit for recent success at the school.

"There are folks saying, 'Rutgers, where exactly is that located?"' said Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan, D-Middlesex

I get it. New Jersey wants some love. They're the most densely populated state, but they don't even have their own television stations. The house two football teams, but neither have New Jersey in their name. But is adding NJ to the logo really going to help things? Imagine you're watching a Big East football game next season featuring Rutgers. Would you even notice it? And if you even did, so what?

Amazingly, only one legislator voted against the resolution, calling it "micromanagement gone nuts."

"Rutgers can decide what it's logo is," he said. "Rutgers is Rutgers. It has its own proud name and doesn't need to have New Jersey appended to it."

If New Jersey really wants to gain some more attention, maybe it should hitch itself to its most famous residents - the Sopranos. Star James Gandolfini is an alum, and AJ Soprano has been taking a liking to the Rutgers frat scene in recent episodes. Just replace the Scarlet R with the Cleaver logo. There you go.

In reality, this is another example of lawmakers misusing their time. I'm sure there would be more pressing issues out there than this one for the fine state of New Jersey. You want recognition? Success brings it, not the letters NJ in a logo.

How would they fit an NJ into the R logo? I really hope the don't do this, I believe the simplicity of the R is great. NJ is just trying to jump on the Rutgers bandwagon with all the publicity there getting. I would love to see a concept of this.

[Sodboy13]

Just do like every other team in the state: use the Devils' logo and claim it's "a committment to consistency."

[dissimilis]

No way they should even consider doing this. As a Rutgers alumni, it really pisses me off that they would even have the nerve to request something like this. The NJ state government has done a DISGRACEFUL job of funding RU.

How NJ, which is the richest state per capita in the USA, cant fund one state university on a high level, when many other states fund waaay more schools is a disgrace.

So you underfund the school and but now you want to try to take advantage of all our recent successes? Screw you. Good thing President McCormack will never allow that to happen.

[Max Power]

Didn't Rutgers wear a helmet like 10 years ago that had "NJ" on it? It was scarlet and said "Rutgers" with a small "NJ" above that. Maybe?

[RollWolfpack]

Didn't Rutgers wear a helmet like 10 years ago that had "NJ" on it? It was scarlet and said "Rutgers" with a small "NJ" above that. Maybe?

good call, according to the helmet project website they wore a helmet like that from about '85-'95.

[DrBear]

1985-95, according to The Helmet Project.

EDIT: oops, beaten to the punch. Too much time looking for the link

[hrivnak]

I found the leaked logo...

[powersurge]

I have to admit that I don't know anything about the amount of funding that the state of New Jersey does or does not give to them. That being said, I still think it is a smart thing to market the university as part of the state of New Jersey....for the state. I don't know if it will matter much for the university.

In the end it might be a bit detrimental for them with national recruiting. Personally, when I think of Jersey I think of the northern industrial parts that I drive through with my windows sealed tightly or Atlantic City and the boardwalk. Of course much of the rest of the state, especially the parts along the Delaware river are actually quite georgous....although I doubt many people realize that.

I question the timing of this whole thing and wonder if it is a bunch of people trying to jump on the Rutgers bandwagon now that they've got a hot football team.

[dissimilis]

Would it benefit the state? Yes. Does it benefit Rutgers? No.

And as much as I love New Jersey, having lived there from age 13 until I moved to Manhattan, they are just trying to hop aboard right now because our sports teams are doing quite well.

Sorry, but if the state actually funded the school like it really should, maybe I would agree. But since they treat us, and higher education in general, as the red headed step child in the budget, screw them.

The block R has been seen all over the place lately, its clean, simple and it would be a bad move to change it.

Thankfully it will never ever happen though. This will garner just as much support as the brilliant idea that pops up every few years to change Rutgers' name to UNJ *rolls eyes*

[VitaminD]

Thankfully it will never ever happen though. This will garner just as much support as the brilliant idea that pops up every few years to change Rutgers' name to UNJ *rolls eyes*

If they go the route of UNJ, I will be happy to sell them my UNJ concept from last year's University Challenge...

That said, as a lifelong New Jerseyan and son of an RU alumna, there is no good reason to go putting the NJ into the mix. The Block R has become ubiquitous around here, and it's nice to see some pride in our state's flagship school, after decades of utter irrelevance. They've put the "NJ" into the logos in other designs, and it always comes off looking extremely forced. Anyone with half a brain knows that Rutgers is New Jersey's flagship public university. If the Assembly is so insecure that people can't make the connection on their own that they MUST adopt legislation shoehorning an NJ onto the Block R, then they ought to go the distance and rename the school. Seriously - maybe it's because I grew up and live here, but who doesn't know that Rutgers is our state school? Tacking on the initials is not going to make up any prospective student's mind whether to attend RU or not. The name has worked for nearly 2 centuries; it works well enough. Leave the Block R and the name of the school alone, and stop being so damned insecure. Can't you get back to grandstanding on more trivial stuff, like trying to rename the hockey team because you (INCORRECTLY) believe the nickname implies satanism (when in fact it's an intelligent nod to local folklore)? For what I pay you in my taxes, I expect my money to be wasted far more creatively!

[powersurge]

Would it benefit the state? Yes. Does it benefit Rutgers? No.

And as much as I love New Jersey, having lived there from age 13 until I moved to Manhattan, they are just trying to hop aboard right now because our sports teams are doing quite well.

Sorry, but if the state actually funded the school like it really should, maybe I would agree. But since they treat us, and higher education in general, as the red headed step child in the budget, screw them.

The block R has been seen all over the place lately, its clean, simple and it would be a bad move to change it.

Thankfully it will never ever happen though. This will garner just as much support as the brilliant idea that pops up every few years to change Rutgers' name to UNJ *rolls eyes*

You must have posted your reply two seconds too late

[troxbirds]

How would they fit an NJ into the R logo?

NJ Rockets

[njmeadowlanders]

How would they fit an NJ into the R logo?

NJ Rockets

That sort of reminds me of the "LA" in the old "LA RAMS" Script...

[NMLSooner]

I found the leaked logo...

That's funny.

[jm1266]

They used to have "New Jersey" painted in one of the end zones at Rutgers Stadium but did away with it - I think - when they switched turfs. In addition, they used to have "New Jersey" at the one end of the basketball court at the RAC but that too is gone. Now I believe it says "Rutgers" on both ends. I liked when it said "New Jersey" on one end and "Rutgers" at the other. It's different from every other state university.

[apeman33]

They used to have "New Jersey" painted in one of the end zones at Rutgers Stadium but did away with it - I think - when they switched turfs. In addition, they used to have "New Jersey" at the one end of the basketball court at the RAC but that too is gone. Now I believe it says "Rutgers" on both ends. I liked when it said "New Jersey" on one end and "Rutgers" at the other. It's different from every other state university.

Maybe I'm out of my mind, but I think there was even a time when I saw on TV that one baseline said "STATE UNIVERSITY" and the other end said "NEW JERSEY."

And I think that was how I found out Rutgers is the "State University of New Jersey" and not a private school (If you had just heard that name for the first time in your life this afternoon and were given no explanation, wouldn't that sound like an Ivy League school to you?). And then later on, I discovered the "University of Pennsylvania" isn't a state school.

(Before you give me hell, I was 18 then ).

[dwboiler]

Thankfully it will never ever happen though. This will garner just as much support as the brilliant idea that pops up every few years to change Rutgers' name to UNJ *rolls eyes*

Anyone with half a brain knows that Rutgers is New Jersey's flagship public university. .... Seriously - maybe it's because I grew up and live here, but who doesn't know that Rutgers is our state school?

Its not as common knowledge as one would like to think...there are a few other schools with this problem and outside of their state/region/conference people don't really realize they are state schools or even where they are located.

Similar schools:

Purdue (Indiana)

Auburn (Alabama)

Clemson (South Carolina)

Purdue, my Alma Mater, is named that because Indiana University and Indiana State were already established. Most land-grant/Morill Act schools were named after the state. However, when the two most popular options were taken, it named itself after the man who donated the land.

[Mingjai]

Thankfully it will never ever happen though. This will garner just as much support as the brilliant idea that pops up every few years to change Rutgers' name to UNJ *rolls eyes*

Anyone with half a brain knows that Rutgers is New Jersey's flagship public university. .... Seriously - maybe it's because I grew up and live here, but who doesn't know that Rutgers is our state school?

Its not as common knowledge as one would like to think...there are a few other schools with this problem and outside of their state/region/conference people don't really realize they are state schools or even where they are located.

Similar schools:

Purdue (Indiana)

Auburn (Alabama)

Clemson (South Carolina)

Purdue, my Alma Mater, is named that because Indiana University and Indiana State were already established. Most land-grant/Morill Act schools were named after the state. However, when the two most popular options were taken, it named itself after the man who donated the land.

I'm guessing there are quite a few outside of the east coast who don't know the Rutgers is NJ's state school--just like I'm sure there are lots of people around who don't know what SUNY means as well.

[dwboiler]

I'm guessing there are quite a few outside of the east coast who don't know the Rutgers is NJ's state school--just like I'm sure there are lots of people around who don't know what SUNY means as well.

If I had to guess, in the midwest over 90% would have no idea what that means. That is a guess without an ounce of fact.

[leopard88]

Its not as common knowledge as one would like to think...there are a few other schools with this problem and outside of their state/region/conference people don't really realize they are state schools or even where they are located.

Similar schools:

Purdue (Indiana)

Auburn (Alabama)

Clemson (South Carolina)

I'm not sure every school would see that as a problem. There has been a mad rush in recent years by state schools trying to sound like private schools, either by dropping the "State" from the name or changing the name completely.

Examples --

Towson State ---> Towson Univ.

Salisbury State ---> Salisbury Univ.

ALL the Pennsylvania state schools have dropped "State" (i.e., Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg and so on)

Glassboro State ---> Rowan College (somebody correct me if I have this one wrong)

St. Mary's College of Maryland just never took the "State" name in the first place.

SUNY Albany ---> The University at Albany