Lauries relinquish naming rights on arena

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The family of Wal-Mart heiress who is the namesake of the new University of Missouri sports arena has agreed to transfer the naming rights to the school after allegations surfaced that Elizabeth Paige Laurie cheated her way through college, the University of Missouri said Tuesday.

The school had signed away the naming rights for the basketball arena to Bill and Nancy Laurie as a condition of receiving $25 million to kick-start the building campaign. The school said the Lauries relinquished those rights voluntarily.

A new name for the arena has not yet been chosen, but the school said the Board of Curators would meet later to decide one.

The announcement follows allegations that surfaced last week that Elizabeth Paige Laurie, who graduated from the University of Southern California, cheated her way through college.

The allegations were made during a report Friday on ABC's "20/20" program on the prevalence of cheating in college.

The report was based on an interview with Laurie's freshman roommate, Elena Martinez, who said Laurie paid her about $20,000 over 3 1/2 years to write papers and complete other assignments.

Laurie's family has declined comment, saying in a statement to "20/20" that "Paige Laurie's college record is a private matter."