Mascot moves to Super Squirrel (Antagonist)

Amidst the many changes the university is undergoing, one possible change is not due to the budget cuts. A group of students has started the process to change the university mascot, Pioneer Pete. The movement has gained popularity in recent weeks.

The group, which started out consisting of five students, has gained 40 more members in the span of three weeks. They are suggesting that the campus remove Pete from his position of mascot and replace him with Sammy the Super Squirrel.

“Student Senate was approached by the group about two weeks ago,” Joseph Sigwarth, senior business major and vice president of Student Senate, said. “Since then, the movement has really climbed up the tree in popularity, so to speak.”

The campus seems divided on the topic. In a poll of students, staff and faculty conducted during the week of Oct. 19, the student population was 66 percent for and 34 percent against, the staff was split evenly and the faculty was 60 percent against, 39 percent for, with one professor refusing to vote.

“All I care about is teaching my courses and then retiring at the end of the year,” Val Kyrie, professor of Norse mythology, said.

The movement was started by Polly Amorous, a senior wumbology major. Amorous noticed the prevalence of squirrels on campus and the attention that they have been given in various social media forms, such as Yik Yak.

“I thought if people really feel so strongly about these squirrels, maybe we should switch our mascot,” Amorous said. “Plus, I know people who really don’t like Pioneer Pete.”

The group has just begun the official process of putting the change up for a vote.

“The gears are turning on this whole process, I expect to see the movement present its case to the Senate body within a few weeks,” Sigwarth said.

A campus-wide vote could occur as soon as March 2016.