On Wednesday, Sept. 18, President Robin Holmes-Sullivan’s Office sent an email to the Lewis & Clark community announcing that the current Pioneer mascot will be retired and the selection process for a new mascot will begin this fall. The email, with the subject line “Mascot Committee Recommendation and Next Steps”, was sent to students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni.
This decision comes from the Mascot Steering Committee, which Holmes-Sullivan appointed last fall to present a recommendation for a potential change of mascot. The Mascot Committee’s Final Report, submitted in July of this year, considered a variety of factors to come to its recommendation, including academic sources and the Community Dialogues initiative. The findings most heavily rely on survey data collected in January.
The survey, which was sent out to over 29,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni, and garnered over 7,000 responses,showed high disapproval of the Pioneer mascot.
“Most notably, in that survey only 38 percent of respondents agreed that ‘The “Pioneer’ is an appropriate mascot for Lewis & Clark College today,’” the committee’s report states. “Additionally, it was also notable to us that overwhelming majorities of all groups (89 percent of students, 82 percent of faculty and staff, and 74 percent of alumni) believe it is important for the college to have a mascot that current students are proud of, yet only 18 percent of current students report feeling supportive of the Pioneer.”
Student athletes have been of special interest throughout the decision-making process due to their unique position as students and team members representing the mascot both on and off campus. Athletes were invited to participate in a Community Dialogues meeting to share their thoughts last spring, and were distinguished from other students in the survey data. As a group, they had a 51% approval rate of the mascot’s appropriateness, as compared to the overall student body’s 18%. Alumni reported a 45% approval rate, and faculty approval of the mascot was at 28%.
“This is not a decision I take lightly. As a former student athlete, I know what it means to wear a team name, carrying the responsibility of representing a beloved institution,” wrote Holmes-Sullivan in her email.
Alongside the survey, the Steering Committee also reported consulting academic literature on mascots. The Committee found that the Pioneer mascot fails to fulfill the role of an accepted symbol around which the entire college can rally. It also failed to fulfill the role of a mascot as intrinsically inclusive. The report also discusses how a new mascot may be an opportunity for the college.
“A good mascot creates opportunities for branding and merchandising,” the committee’s report states. “A mascot will be most effective if it is both distinctive and appealing to potential and current students, as well as to alumni and donors.”
A committee led by Vice President for Student Life Evette Castillo Clark has been tasked with selecting a new mascot. Students are encouraged to check the Mascot Community Engagement webpage for updates on this process.
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