New Street Names
What’s in a name? Well sometimes, as was the case for a few Southeastern Louisiana
University street names, a bit of confusion.
Four campus street names are changing to more accurately reflect Southeastern’s identity,
geography and sense of place. At the request of the university, the Hammond City Council
voted recently to approve the following changes: Texas Ave. will become Union Ave.;
Tennessee Ave. will change to Mane St.; and Virginia Ave. will be Roomie Rd., while
Tornado Dr. on North Campus, which once housed Hammond High School, will become Lion
Lane.
The new names came about at the urging of students after several first-time campus
guests using computerized navigation expressed confusion as to why a university named
and located in Southeast Louisiana would feature streets named for other states and
a different mascot, as was the case with Tornado Drive named for the HHS Tornadoes.
“It was just a bit confusing, for example, for someone visiting campus for the first
time ever,” said Richard Davis, Southeastern Student Government Association president.
“If you think about it, it just doesn’t make sense. Why would you take Texas Ave.
to get to Southeastern Louisiana University’s Student Union or turn onto Tennessee
Ave. for the Southeastern Louisiana University School of Nursing?”
The name changes come at an opportune time with many more travelers now accessing
the former Texas Ave. to reach the new Ascension and Twelve Oaks residence halls or
attending events at the Student Union.
Online mapping services have been notified of the changes, and efforts are underway
to update all campus maps and directional identifiers.
“Looking forward, we’re excited to see the new street signs go up to properly reflect
the pride we have in our campus,” Davis added.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018