Arena Renamed After Wal-Mart Heiress Scandal

The University of Missouri renamed its new sports arena with the school nickname Friday, just days after the original namesake, a 22-year-old Wal-Mart heiress, was accused of cheating at USC.

The university’s governing Board of Curators voted without dissent to rename Paige Sports Arena during a conference call. The Mizzou Arena name will be used immediately.

“How can you go wrong when you talk about Mizzou?” said Elson Floyd, president of the university system.

Elizabeth Paige Laurie’s billionaire parents gave up naming rights to the $75-million basketball venue, which was built with $25 million from the Lauries and opened three weeks ago.

The move comes months after Bill and Nancy Laurie had angered Missouri fans by announcing their plan to name the arena after their daughter, who did not attend Missouri.

Then, last week, Paige Laurie’s freshman roommate at USC, Elena Martinez, revealed that Laurie paid her about $20,000 over 3 1/2 years to write papers and complete other work for her. The Laurie family has said Paige Laurie’s college record is a private matter.