The Economics building will officially be renamed the CŽsar E. Ch‡vez Building on Sept. 1, in spite of some student opposition and plans for a possible protest.

Members of the Student Objectivist Society and the College Republicans plan to write letters to the Arizona Board of Regents to encourage them not to rename the building, and Peter Seat, president of the UA chapter of College Republicans, said there is a definite possibility that he and other opponents to the renaming may stage a protest Monday.

Seat said Chavez is not an appropriate candidate for a campus building to be named after because many people do not agree with his views or tactics.

"It's widely known that he was a socialist, and he forced people to do things," he said.

Antonio Estrada, director of Mexican-American Studies and one of the main players in the campaign to have the building renamed after Chavez, said that students have the right to protest but he said he believes Chavez is an excellent candidate, a man who fought for equity and social justice for all people, and that should transcend any political affiliation.

"This is a man who lived what he preached, and fought for everyone's well being," said Socorro Carrizosa, director of Chicano-Hispano Student Affairs and leader of the renaming campaign. "What President Likins has done is very historic. He's bringing recognition to a national hero who impacted many of our lives."

Likins explained that changing the building's name was not just up to him, but involved a formal process requiring a nomination from an organization, a review by a naming committee, and then his approval.

The building is being renamed as a symbol of the importance of Hispanic traditions to the UA, he said.

"This is a statement from an inclusive institution that we value all cultures in America, and a way to say to Hispanic students, Îwe respect your cultures and traditions,'" he said.

Likins knows the name change will not be unanimously embraced, but he feels the right decision has been made.

"This is not an isolated event," he said. "It's just one more small step in a broad campaign to make UA a welcome learning environment for people of all ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds."

Estrada said that the name change fits into Likins's goal of UA becoming a Hispanic-serving institution, as detailed in the Diversity Action Plan, a comprehensive plan that aims to increase diversity on campus.

Estrada also said that the name change will help with the recruitment of Hispanic students.

"There's nothing on campus now that highlights Hispanic contributions to the state and nation," he added.

The Economics building houses the Mexican-American Studies department, along with the Chicano-Hispano Student Affairs resource center, the Mathematical Sciences department and the Agricultural Resource Economics department.

A ceremony to commemorate the renaming is being tentatively planned for Oct. 13, and might involve members of Chavez's family, Carrizosa said.