The New Union Naming Committee met Monday to determine the protocol for naming the new south campus union, which is currently under reconstruction on West Johnson Street.
The Associated Students of Madison and the Wisconsin Union Directorate held a contest last month allowing students to submit ideas for the name of the new union.
Xiangyun Zhang, Wisonsin Union Directorate president, said the committee, which consists of members from both ASM and WUD, is sifting through over 200 ideas submitted by students, faculty and staff in an attempt to narrow all submissions down to the top four.
""We're trying to get as much student involvement as possible,"" Zhang said.
The committee decided the names submitted will be evaluated in terms of their appropriateness, link to the union's purpose, possibility to partner with future donors and connection to the era of the new union's construction.
""We want [to] pick names that would preserve the possibility of a future donor,"" Union Director Mark Guthier said.
Guthier said the former south campus union was named Union South simply because it was located south of Memorial Union, but the committee hopes to create a more iconic image for the new union.
After the committee chooses the top names, the Union Council and ASM Student Council will approve them before they are presented to the student body for a vote.
The final name will then be submitted to Chancellor Biddy Martin in April.
Zhang said the committee will be accepting name submissions until Friday March 12. Students can submit ideas via e-mail or at a table near Der Rathskeller in Memorial Union.
The NUNC will meet March 15 with branding consultants who will advise the committee on the most fiscally responsible naming decision.
The new south campus union will open in April 2011.
