Student Government sparks school spirit with new project
SG president wants students to rename 20th Street.
Proposed changes to 20th street, which student government is campaigning to rename. Photo courtesy of the School of Architecture.
October 3, 2015
Student Government’s latest project is to try and transform Boca into more of a college town.
The idea is to rename 20th Street, with the goal being to create a more college-friendly city, prospectively making FAU less of a commuter school.
Student Body President Kathryn Edmunds sent out a tweet on Sept. 28, asking for students to submit their suggestions for a new name of the street using the hashtag, “#Rename20th.”
Both students and administration have been discussing renaming and rebuilding 20th Street for a long time now, according to Edmunds.
The street runs just over a mile, from FAU to U.S. 1. It has mainly been for commuting to and from school, but now the street has new off-campus apartments, UPark and University Square, as part of its redevelopment.
Florida Atlantic President John Kelly has already been collaborating with Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie about developing 20th Street as part of his 10-year plan to create a “college town.”
“The renaming is absolutely in collaboration with the 10-year plan,” said Edmunds. “President
Kelly is an advocate for creating a college atmosphere and bringing together the community.”
In order to complete the renaming project, Student Government and FAU administration, including Vice President of Student Affairs Corey King, have been working with both the city council and the mayor.
It only took about a week for approval of the idea and Mayor Haynie has left it up to the students to come up with the new name.
Recent FAU graduate Kylie Gerks has one of the leading street names with her idea, “Burrow Boulevard.”
“I chose Burrow because it’s an owl’s home and 20th is home to many of our students through UPark and University housing,” she said.
Gerks also believes taking to Twitter was a good move for SG to get students’ votes.
“I think this hashtag is a great way to let students get involved and will definitely bring attention to the big changes coming to FAU and the surrounding town,” Gerks said.
Student Government will be choosing the top three ideas based on the amount of retweets each gets.
Edmunds said they will present the suggestions to the city council. The final decision will be made based on appropriateness, relevancy and the central purpose of connecting the city with the school, according to the council.
There is no set closing date for the #Rename20th project right now, but she would like to have a good idea on the top names by the end of October, Edmunds said.
The winner of the renaming project will accompany Edmunds to a home football game and watch the game from the President Suite, where they will also get to meet President Kelly and members on the Board of Trustees.
In just a few days since her initial tweet announcing the #Rename20th project, more than 20 students have already responded with their ideas. The most popular names include “Burrow Boulevard,” “Owl Avenue” and “Atlantic Way.”
To see some funny name ideas click here.
You can cast your vote on Twitter using the hashtag, #Rename20th
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