in 1968, nevada southern was given equal status with its parent institution in reno, and the present name was approved by the regents in january 1969, during a winter session and without input from representatives from the university of nevada, reno. during this time, nevada southern university also adopted the southern "rebel" athletics moniker and a mascot dressed in a southern confederate uniform named beauregard. the popular reasoning behind such a controversial moniker and mascot is that they did it to oppose the northern union traditions and symbols of their northern rival, the university of nevada. soon, protests from nsu/unlv students forced a slight change to their confederate mascot, but the "rebels" moniker remains to this day. since its founding, the university has grown rapidly, expanding both its academic programs and campus facilities.