Within the past year, Quinnipiac students have been beginning to get used to the Bobcat as the new mascot for the school.

The new logo can be seen everywhere: displayed on clothing, athletic gear, in the Athletic Center and even as paw prints on the speed bumps down Bobcat Alley.

Soon, Quinnipiac students will be faced with yet another change related to the Bobcat nickname; their beloved Rat (the Ratskellar) will aptly be renamed “The Bobcat Den,” while Dorm Road will now be referred to as “Bobcat Alley.”

These name changes, chosen by the Student Government Association, are part of a plan to increase the overall enthusiasm about athletics on campus.

The future name transformations of the convenient eatery and the central road on campus are just two of the many changes that have taken place in the past year. When the school logo was changed from “The Braves” to “The Bobcats,” much had to be adjusted to fit the new image.

Lynn Bushnell from Public Affairs, explained why the name changes are being put into place.

“The names were changed in response to Student Government Association suggestions that we add more names and signage on campus about the athletic sign of the Bobcat,” she said.

While the S.G.A. made the name suggestions,the whole process was a combined effort of S.G.A., Public Affairs, Student Affairs, and especially Melissa Dudra, president of S.G.A. and Vice President of Student Affairs, Manuel Carreiro.

Bushnell said that signs will be hung that will disclose the new names to the general campus population.

“There will be a large banner erected over ‘Bobcat Way,’ and there will also be a sign on the outside of ‘The Bobcat Den’ and interior changes to reflect the new name,” Bushnell said.

Bushnell hopes that the students will see these new signs sometime this semester after the holes have been drilled and the concrete set.

After speaking with a few students this past week, it was clear that they were not as excited about the name changes as those who instituted them may have hoped.

When the students interviewed were informed that the names of the The Rat and Dorm Road would be altered, many believed the name changes were not that big of a deal.

Sophomore mass communications major Chris Ducey felt students would not be that receptive to the new names.

“It doesn’t mean much,” he said. “Everyone is still going to call it what they used to call it.”

This same concern was expressed by most of the interviewed students, especially those who had known and called these campus landmarks by their old names for three or four years.

“Any time you get a name change, it’s hard to get used to,” said junior mass communications major Cara Foley.

As for the new names themselves, some students had other ideas.

“The Bobcat Den is cute,” said freshman Liberal Arts major Erin Morgan. “It sounds better than The Rat.”

On the other hand, the choice of Bobcat Way was described as “Cheesy” by senior management major Chris Mancuso.

Despite their disagreement on the names, many students, like Foley, agreed that they will likely help create more interest in school athletics.

“I think it will give us a little more school spirit, which we really need,” Foley said.

Junior James Miller agreed with Foley.

“I like the idea of adding more school spirit,” Miller said. “Hopefully many of the students will take to the new names and increase their school spirit.”

Junior Conor McGee liked the idea of the name changes, but believed it would be hard for many students to accept the changes.

“Eating in the Bobcat Den sounds more appealing than eating at The Ratt,” he said. “But a lot of students have been calling it The Ratt for so long that it might not catch on right away.”

Despite some similar opinions that the name changes could be good for the University, some students said that they probably would not be able to get used to them in the future.

In this case, perhaps one can follow the example of Mancuso, who after his interview called to a friend, “I’ll meet you on ‘Bobcat Way.'”