Discovery Union, Randall Union, Union South and Varsity Union will most likely go before students as options for the name of the new south campus union after a committee chose them as finalists Monday night.

Before students can vote on the four names in April, however, Union Council must approve them at their meeting tonight. Unless there is major opposition, Union President and committee Chair Xiangyun Zhang said the selections will go on the ballot for the Associated Students of Madison’s spring elections.

Prior to deciding on the four names, the committee received advice from Mark Schmitz, owner of Zebradog, a local company specializing in facility brand planning.

Schmitz told the committee to keep the name simple, think about the architecture of the building and consider what students will call the union.

“The name is only going to be as good as the experience within and outside the facility,” Schmitz said.

Varsity Union received the most votes from the committee members with eight. As an alumnus of UW, Schmitz pointed out Varsity Union as a viable option.

ASM Chair Tyler Junger said he liked it because it represents UW and is something all students can relate to.

“Varsity is more of a spirit that’s felt, and I think if we can capture that in some place, it’s a good thing,” Junger said.

Although Discovery Union and Randall Union refer to the location of the building, the committee debated whether to even send Union South as an option.

Carl Fergus, ASM appointee to the committee, hesitated over the new identity of the building. Fergus said if students eventually choose Union South as a name, people would wonder why a naming process was even necessary.

The committee decided to avoid naming the building after individuals, primarily because if a donor came along at the last minute and wanted his or her name on it, too many names would cause confusion.

The possibility of naming the building after a donor remains open, Union President Mark Guthier said. However, none of the potential names were donors.

The Leckrone Union — after Michael Leckrone, UW professor and bands director — remained the only individual name in the top 15. However, UW policy prohibits naming buildings after current faculty members, said Teri Venker, alumni representative to Union Council, eliminating the option.

With more than 500 submissions, more than a few poked fun at campus figures, while others simply revealed aggression toward the new union in general.

“Shit Sandwich” made Patrick Tilley, vice president for project management, laugh out loud.

Junger enjoyed the play on himself and ASM Vice President Tom Templeton with the “Skyler Junger Center for Peace Studies” and the “Todd Templeton Memorial Union.”

Of the inappropriate names, those referring to the new union as a waste of money angered Tilley. He said the referendum happened in 2006, and “we’re not going to name a building that.”