On Aug. 9, 2013, DU announced that they did not find a suitable mascot to replace Boone as the representative of the Pioneer Nation. After spending $60,000 and six months consulting a 75-member committee of students, alumni, local community leaders and staff, and polling the DU community, we have no mascot and forward movement in resolving the issue.

As we are nearing the two-year anniversary of the committee’s results, DU must immediately take action to establish a new mascot. A mascot unites a community, creates a figure everyone can stand behind and exemplifies who we are. The conversation about this critical issue must continue around campus and a mascot must be selected in order to truly unite the student body and the DU community.
Ever since the mascot research results were announced last year, there has been little to no official discussion about finding a new mascot.

This lack of discussion at first glance has not affected campus as a whole. However, there is still a very palpable and ever-present anger among the student body. This anger is mostly over the lack of a unifying figure that represents Pioneers and the long, unfruitful process to find a new mascot last year. Directed primarily at the administration, this tension causes a rift between DU (the institution) and the student body, which causes a loss of enthusiasm and school spirit.

DU has not been the same without a mascot. As I stated a year ago in a previous opinions piece, the elimination of a well-beloved mascot damages our pride as Pioneers and eliminates a huge part of our history and livelihood. The attempt to quickly create a new mascot through a relatively closed off committee and the lack of the administration’s consultation of the student body means that we must find a new way to move past this issue and reunify campus under a unifying symbol.

So, now that we have identified the problem, how can we solve this mascot dilemma? Many students demand that the only solution lies with restoring Boone as our mascot. The administration believes that replacing our mascot with something designed by four artists or ignoring the issue is the answer. I believe that the answer lies somewhere in the middle with creating an open, but frank conversation on campus about creating a new mascot that unites the Pioneer community.

Now more than ever, it is critical for the student body to come together with the administration and move forward into the future with a mascot that unites all pioneers. We have already proven that Boone will not be reinstated as our mascot, just as we have proven that the administration cannot create a small committee to decide on a new mascot. What we need now is a dedicated and spirited student body and an open, progressive administration that can let go of past conflicts and resolve this issue once and for all.

As we move forward with another quarter, and soon, another academic school year, the implementation of a new mascot is critical to uniting past, current and future Pioneers. This issue must be solved through open dialogue with the administration and solutions approved by the student body. With the creation of a new mascot, our school will enter a new age of spirit and enthusiasm that unites the community and creates a symbol everyone can proudly identify with and stand behind.