Emotions ran high at Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting as it discussed the proposed name change of California State University, Sacramento, to Sacramento State University. A number of senate members charged that the polling data and questions misled those who took the survey and that the results were misused to justify the official name change.

The senate voted on the issue, resulting in its recommendation to the president not to ask the board of trustees to change the name of the university.

President Alexander Gonzalez led the discussion for those in favor of the change.”Either we embrace our future or we get left behind,” Gonzalez said. “I will move forward in the areas that need to be changed and work vigorously for it.”

Barbara O’Connor, head of the branding committee that was formed to oversee the name change and the identity package, also spoke in favor of the change.

“We consistently saw the confusion over the name,” O’Connor said. “We’re not changing what goes on here . . . we like what goes on here. We like the low ratio of faculty to students.”

Stan Atkinson, former news anchorman and member of the branding committee, also defended the proposed decision to change the name. He spoke with emotion about his late son who graduated from the university’s business school and about his own involvement with Sacramento State.

“How can we more closely intertwine the community and the campus?” Atkinson said. “You need to keep it simple. Sacramento State University does it. I hope you will be a willing participant in this effort.”

Professor Marsha Dillon, who has taught geography at Sac State for over 36 years, led the opposition with a prepared statement. She said the senate meeting was a “good opportunity to have the debate.” Her objections were two-fold: that of “process and substance.”

“The misuse of the survey data about the nickname to justify a formal name change betrayed all the survey participants,” Dillon said. “The process treats the university as a commodity, not a center of teaching and learning.”

Biology professor Juanita Barrena and others also voiced their objections to the term “branding” being used in the process and in the name of the committee that is overseeing the name change and identity package.

Others voiced opposition to the name change, citing the use of “California State” in the name gave the title “dignity” and conveyed its connection to the Cal State system.

Gonzalez said that to date the issue has not been put on the board of trustees’ agenda.The senate also passed a resolution to have the whole faculty vote on the name change.

Cristy Jensen, Faculty Senate chair, said that the vote will not be held until after the spring break.