The near Jack Trice consensus across campus Thursday was: It’s about time.

The day after the state Board of Regents officially renamed Cyclone Stadium in honor of Trice, students, faculty and staff alike said they were glad the issue has been put to rest, some 22 years later.

“I wasn’t surprised that the decision wasn’t unanimous — with the debate surrounding it. But I was glad to see that there was so much support from the Board of Regents. It is the right thing to do, a step in the right direction,” said Derrick Rollins, diversity adviser to ISU President Martin Jischke’s cabinet.

The regents, on a 7-2 vote, approved Jischke’s recommendation to rename Cyclone Stadium/Jack Trice Field to Jack Trice Stadium.

Some students didn’t have kind words for the two regents — Nancy Pellett, of Atlantic, and Thomas Dorr, of Marcus — who voted against Trice Stadium. Pellett said at the meeting that she didn’t feel there was enough student support for her to vote yes.

“I was not happy at all, especially with Regent Pellet,” Government of the Student Body President Adam Gold said. “I was extremely upset that it was not unanimous, although 7-2 is still board support, there’s no reason it shouldn’t have been unanimous.”

Gold said he does not understand Pellett’s reasoning.

“For her to make the comment that the student body was not for it, just boggles my mind,” he said. “I had no idea how she determined that there was no student support for this, considering the surveys, the unanimous approval of the GSB Senate, and the forums. I have no idea about where that came from.”

A poll of ISU students last semester found that more than 68 percent of students favored renaming the stadium.

Gold said he attempted to reach Pellet on Thursday for an explanation. He was unsuccessful.

Football Coach Dan McCarney said the decision was good news for Iowa State. “We, as a football family, support the decision a thousand percent and respect the process through which the decision was reached. President Jischke talked to countless people before making his recommendation to the Board of Regents,” he said.

Although the stadium name is now officially Jack Trice Stadium, a dedication ceremony tentatively has been scheduled for Aug. 30, when ISU plays Oklahoma State at home.

Dan Johnston, a sophomore in computer science called Trice a “hero.”

“Jack Trice is one of the heroes of Iowa State football,” he said.

Juli Hisel, a freshman in liberal arts and science, said the decision was “cool.”

“… his story is still very interesting to students at Iowa State. Why not name the stadium after him?” she asked.

Faculty Senate Vice President Denise Vrchota, an adjunct assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, said she felt there was also broad support among faculty members.

“It should have been done last time it was debated,” she said. “I am very pleased with the change.”

But there is a dark side to the decision, Rollins said.

“I think it is sad that it took so much time and energy just to rename a stadium,” he said. “To say that race wasn’t involved on either side would be wrong. Even as we near the year 2000, we still find that issues such as this are laden with racial suspicion.”