Departments react to war nickname

By Perry Swanson
The Metropolitan

Metroâs Student Government Assembly might be making some headway in the fight against Metroâs nickname.

Chuck Bennett, SGAâs representative to the Board of Trustees, said heâs heard cheers for the most recent tactic to obliterate ãThe Metä from Metro.

Students and staff from several of the collegeâs departments have telephoned or sent e-mails supporting a resolution that demands all programs funded by student fees to cease using the nickname, Bennett said. Since the resolution passed Sept. 29, Bennett said staff in a few departments, including Student Activities, stopped using the nickname when answering the phone.

Patricia Yarrow, an administrative assistant in the Human Services department, showed her support in a Sept. 30 e-mail to the student government.

ãI agree with you and support your opposition to ÎThe Met,âä Yarrow said. ãThis department does not use ÎThe Metâ when answering the phone or making calls. We use either MSCD or Metro Human Services.ä

Some, however, feel torn because the administration is telling them to use the nickname while student government says not to, Bennett said.

After the resolution passed, Bennett said two employees of programs funded by student fees called him to make sure their budgets wouldnât be threatened if they continued to use the nickname.

ãWeâre not going to penalize any department just because theyâre being forced to do something,ä Bennett said.

Eventually, the student government will submit a second resolution to Metro President Sheila Kaplan to demand that the rest of the college stops using the nickname.

Kaplan has said thatâs not an option.

Student government members have gathered almost 2,000 signatures on a petition to abolish the nickname. Some also wear buttons and pass out fliers opposing the nickname. The administrationâs stance on the issue is that people donât have to use ãThe Met.ä