Dixie State College has prepared its official proposal to become a campus within the University of Utah system. It calls for the Dixie spirit to live on "including the 'D' on the hill in St. George" and "the chants we yell," according to the document, which will be presented Monday to the U.'s Board of Trustees.

But the school would become the U. of U., St. George, and would be referred to as the Dixie campus. That possible name change has proven controversial over the past few weeks as stalwart Dixie fans have questioned the need for change.

The new partnership would allow Dixie to offer a greater number of college and graduate degrees while continuing its community college programs. Such a partnership could provide "immediate help with the infrastructure issues."

As for the Rebel, the school's nickname will disappear, the document states.

The nickname was "all innocent," said Shandon Gubler, chairman of Dixie's Board of Trustees. It was "not intended to be the way we think of Confederacy things today."

The proposal is the first step in a months-long discussion by a task force should the affiliation move forward. The boards of both schools must approve the proposal along with the Utah State Board of Regents.

"This is major educational change in the state of Utah, we just want to do it right," the Dixie chairman said. "We're not trying to ramrod a direction here."

Any new relationship would come with a cost.

"We don't have the money to even initiate this process down here - neither does the University of Utah," Gubler said.

Although the exact cost is unclear, at least $7 million could initially be needed along with an additional ongoing appropriation, he said.

The idea of a deeper collaboration between the schools was initiated by Dixie, but the U. doesn't seem to be wary of the idea.

"I haven't talked to anyone who is opposed to the concept," said Randy Dryer, chairman of the U. board of trustees. "The exact nature of the relationship and whether it's feasible, those are details that we'll be talking about Monday."

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* JULIA LYON can be contacted at jlyon@sltrib.com or 801-257-8748.