USU Eastern name change not moving forward

*Audio clip is USU student Savana Brown.

Representative Christine Watkins proposed a bill to change Utah State Eastern’s name to Utah State Price.  

Since December, the bill has been introduced in the 2023 General Session of the Utah Legislature, where it now sits on the House Rules Committee. However, it looks like the bill will not make it past this point in the session.  

In an email with the Statesman, Watkins wrote, “The bill is on hold and not going anywhere. The constituents supporting it changed their minds.”  

Watkins explained why the constituents dropped their support for the bill: “Someone talked about the optics of Eastern vs. Price. Large area vs. small city area.  Something along that line.”  

Rep. Watkins declined to schedule an interview or answer any more questions.  

“Honestly, there isn’t much more to say,” Watkins concluded.  

“I agree with the people that say that it’s not super necessary,” said Savana Brown, a USU student. “I guess it confines it more to a specific area instead of being representative of a larger population. So I do think it’s a little odd that they’re changing it, but it doesn’t matter to me too much overall.” 

If the bill were to pass, it would be the fourth time the eastern college has seen a name change.  

Before USU Eastern was known as a Utah State school, it started as Carbon College in 1937, where it welcomed 100 students in the first year.  

The next twenty years brought change as the school struggled and eventually became a branch of the University of Utah for four years.  

During those four years, a bill passed through the legislature to change the name from Carbon College to the College of Eastern Utah, or CEU. This event marked CEU as the first name change.  

“The name change brought a greater acceptance for the institution by the people of southeastern Utah and allowed for the expansion of the college into that area of the state,” according to the Utah Centennial County History Series – Carbon County 1997.  

The college would see its subsequent rebrand when the Utah Legislature signed a bill to have CEU merge with Utah State University in 2010. The school would then be known as Utah State University — College of Eastern Utah.  

According to Utah State Today, many celebrated the change.  

“Dignitaries from around the state and community members from Price gathered last weekend to celebrate the unique partnership between Utah State University and College of Eastern Utah — a celebration that included a ceremonial bill signing by Utah’s governor,” the article stated.  

It would be the first time in Utah’s history two long-established institutions would merge.  

In 2013, the legislature officially changed the college’s name to Utah State University Eastern. Many students and professors were starting to call the institution USU Eastern. The change would “merely formalize the shortened version already in use,” according to the article.  

-Alivia.Hadfield@usu.edu

Featured photo by Bailey Rigby