A Greens MP has added his voice to a chorus of scorn towards the University of Adelaide student union's new name — which is the same as a porn website.
The Adelaide University Union (AUU) recently adopted the name YouX, which the university's own student newspaper On Dit was quick to point out evoked X-rated content, including a website with the same name.
"A few students have noted that the name holds a similarity to those for pornographic sites. Hardly ideal," an article stated earlier this year.
The union has since defended the change, saying it occurred after extensive research and consultation with students.
But SA state Greens MP Robert Simms — a former state education officer for the National Union of Students — believes it is a regrettable outcome.
"It's a pretty crazy turn of events."
Mr Simms said the union had been a "longstanding institution here in Adelaide" and he was "disappointed to see the union name has been dropped".
Union president Oscar Ong defended the change, describing it as "part of the normal rebrand cycle".
He said he was unaware of any instances of students searching for the union but inadvertently clicking on pornographic content.
"We wanted to capture the scope of what we do, and I think YouX is a great representative of partnership. What it means to us is really 'your experience.'"
University resisted rebrand
Mr Ong was asked by Breakfast program presenter Stacey Lee, "Why didn't you do a little Google of this — surely there was a different name that didn't already belong to a porn website?"
He replied that such work had "been done … by our professional marketing staff".
University student Phillip said the rebrand seemed "like an unnecessary move".
"Changing the name of such an old institution can lead to a loss of identity as a student-run organisation," he said.
The university echoed that sentiment, but said the rebrand was out of its hands.
"The expert branding advice the University of Adelaide provided, when asked, highlighted the risk associated with changing the well-known AUU brand," a spokesperson said.
"[But the union] has the right to make independent decisions about how it funds and delivers activities."
Mr Ong said the decision was made after "an extensive 18 months of work".
"The scope and the sole focus of the project has really been to achieve better engagement and to really tell our story better," he said.
