The use of “NCSU” has diminished over the past few years, and individuals have become more likely to use “N.C. State” in both formal and informal contexts, according to University officials.

Director for Trademark Licensing Cindy Sears said this trend began when the office of public affairs spearheaded an initiative to create a collective graphic identity for the University.

“We have seen a gradual phasing out of its use since the graphic identity was adopted,” Sears said.

Associate Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs Deborah Griffith said the University adopted this identity around 10 years ago and since then has encouraged the usage of “N.C. State” over any other abbreviation.

“We originally set a graphic identity for the University in 1997,” Griffith said. “We haven’t done a comprehensive evaluation of these policies since we started using what is affectionately known as the ‘brick logo.'”

Griffith said the University has no specific policy prohibiting the use of other acronyms, but the use of “NCSU” has faded out nonetheless.

“Most people say ‘N.C. State’ when they refer to North Carolina State University,” Griffith said. “We haven’t outlawed the use of NCSU, and there is nothing wrong with using it. N.C. State just seems to be the preferred reference when people talk about the school or write about it in the paper.”

She said the media often doesn’t follow the University’s suggestions in how to abbreviate the University name and often comes up with strange alternatives.

“The ESPN television network, when listing game results, will sometimes abbreviate our school as NCST,” Griffith said. “We don’t know why they would use that over NCSU, and public affairs has had several discussions with them regarding this issue.”

Sears said she has observed a decline in the use of NCSU on merchandise as well, but suspects this is due to changes in public demand.

“We do not deny a product with [NCSU] on there,” Sears said. “The design you are most going to see is the one that people want.”

Rhys Harwell, a senior in industrial design, said he hasn’t consciously noticed much of a change over the years, but does appreciate the use of N.C. State because it sets the University apart from others in the country.

“It seems like everyone refers to the University as N.C. State in everyday conversation,” Harwell said. “Generally, it differentiates us from the many colleges who use the same type of acronym when referring to their name.”

Griffith said NCSU could likely reemerge in the future, and the office of public affairs hopes to redefine the outdated University graphic identity policy in the near future.

“Public affairs have been discussing reworking the graphic identity standards not only in printed publications, but how we refer to ourselves online as well,” she said. “When we start this process, we will be sure to get student, faculty and administrative input.”