Letters

The Y (Brigham Young University)

"The Y" is a nickname for Brigham Young University. BYU was founded in 1875 and is located in Provo, Utah. It is named for Brigham Young, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1847 to 1877, the founder of Salt Lake City, and the first governor of the Utah territory. It has around 35,000 students.

How It's Used

“Around here most people focus on a handful of things: the university, the family and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Locals say LDS, not Mormon. ('Hi! Are you LDS? I'm LDS.') LDS means several things: no alcohol, no caffeine, no smoking, lots of children.

“Want entertainment, culture and athletics? Go to 'the Y,' as locals call the university. Or drive an hour to Salt Lake City.”

“From distant countries they bring back fresh insights and a love of language and culture so strong that here at Brigham Young University, education is a great feast of language. There are nearly 30,000 students at 'the Y,' as this Mormon university perched on the Wasatch Mountains is known, and at any one time about 10,000 of them are studying one of 54 languages.

“Most Mormon men and an increasing number of women interrupt their educations to go on proselytizing missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many go abroad after receiving an eight-week crash course in a country's language, culture and religion. They are expected to learn to converse in the language from the locals.”

“The major secular institutions in the state [of Utah] often have a parallel, Church [Mormon]-owned counterpart.  There is the University of Utah (the ‘U’) in Salt Lake City, and there is Brigham Young University (the ‘Y’) in Provo, which is the largest religiously sponsored school in the country.”

Links