FAYETTEVILLE — A draft agreement with city officials is in the works to replace University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus street signs with a proposed design featuring a white “running Razorback” logo on a red background, a university official said.
“If approved by the city, the university would move forward with replacing 9 overhead signs (3 intersections) and 19 street signs (at 19 intersections) of the primary roads or entrance corridors on campus,” Mark Rushing, assistant vice chancellor of university relations, said in an email.
Students presented the idea of UA-themed street signs to campus leaders in May, Rushing said.
“Hunter Yurachek [UA’s athletic director] pledged that Razorback athletics would fund the effort,” Rushing said, with “just over $13,000” expected to cover sign and installation costs.
“In October, a revised plan was endorsed by the executive committee, and this fall, we’ve been working with the city of Fayetteville for approval as the signs are the property of the city,” Rushing said.
Colman Betler, a senior biology student, worked with UA students Danielle Zapata and Raygan Mills to present the idea to university leaders.
He said “a lot of legwork” followed, including talks with athletics officials about logos and designs.
“It has to be the right color red and has to be the right Hog,” Betler said. He recently started a Change.org petition, which had more than 200 supporters as of Friday in favor of new signs.
Susan Norton, the city’s communications director, said the Fayetteville City Council will review the plan for final approval no sooner than January.
“The city appreciates the students’ work and their creativity and initiative, always,” Norton said.
Rushing said a proposed design would “include a ‘running Razorback’ logo” over a red background on the left corner of the sign. In the university’s preferred design, the remainder of the sign would have white lettering on a very dark background, Rushing said.
Excluded from sign changes would be portions of Razorback Road, Maple Street and Garland Avenue that are state-owned corridors maintained by the state Department of Transportation.
Rushing said “the rebranding is not in alignment with ArDOT policy regarding street signage.”
Betler, 21, from Plano, Texas, said the student effort goes back two years. Zapata and Mills graduated this spring. Yurachek’s pledge to have athletics dollars pay for the signs came as a welcome surprise, Betler said.
“Our mantra was, it’s the least amount of money that you can spend to do the most good for the university,” Betler said.