Christian Union (CU) in Exeter University is being forced to change its name for the first time in the 50 years since it was established on campus.

Following the announcement, up to 12,000 students at the Devon university are being asked to vote whether the current campus Christian Union (CU) has the exclusive right to call itself the Christian Union, or whether it should be made to change its name to the Evangelical Christian Union (ECU).

Students are voting online from 9 to 12 October, with the results to be announced on 13 October.

The student group have organised programmes of Bible studies, held meetings and organised evangelistic events under the name of the Exeter University Christian Union for over five decades. This year, the CU has over 200 student members.

However, in May, one student on campus told the Student Guild he felt the CU was too exclusive for him. Guild officers allowed him to propose the name change at an upcoming meeting of the Guild.

His item, number 12 on the agenda, was mentioned four days before in Expose (the student newspaper) and four days before that on X-Net, the Exeter University student website, although the CU committee say they were never personally informed of the proposition before the meeting. Subsequently, the motion was passed 54 to 50.

The Guild subsequently ratified the vote and forced the CU to call itself the Evangelical Christian Union from that moment on, and to refer to itself as this in all texts and publications.

When CU leaders appealed, they were told they could propose a reversal motion at the Guild's Annual General Meeting, held last term.

Emma Brewster, CU worker at Exeter University, said: "Literally thousands of students have joined the CU whilst studying at Exeter, and the name has never been a problem.

"The CU here, like at almost ever university in the UK, holds the orthodox Christian views which churches of all denominations have also held for over 2,000 years.

"In 50 years, this is the first complaint about our name."

The motion was passed, but the Guild officers refused to ratify the motion, instead calling a vote on the matter among the entire student population.