The athletic department's decision to change IU's image is a good one. With all of the recent coaching and staffing adjustments in the past years, this is a new era for IU athletics, and a transformation is needed. Returning to the classic cream and crimson colors for uniforms and apparel and finding a mascot and new logo for IU are essential if the University is going to compete on a corporate level in the Big Ten and the nation. Mascots build pride in a university. That pride translates into more revenue from apparel and ticket sales as students, alumni and fans purchase the new look. In this time of budget cuts, increased revenue is a good thing. This is especially true since Michael McNeely, the athletics director, has also planned for a student-athlete support center and second gym to be built. The target time for this change is set for February, and it's a perfect time to begin a new image. School spirit should be soaring as March Madness for the basketball teams heats up. And there is no better time to introduce a mascot to the courts than with an entire school rallying behind the Hoosiers. Contrary to popular belief, IU has had many mascots during its time. According to the IU archives, the first mascot was a collie in 1935, which was purchased by many groups around campus. The second live mascot, although it may not have been official, was a bulldog named Ox introduced by Theta Chi. IU also had two mascots who were caricatures of real people. The Schoolmaster, appearing in 1952, was a first-year teacher in a fictional Indiana community. Then in the 1979 football season, we had Hoosier Pride. He was a rendition of the Webster dictionary definition of a Hoosier, a basic definition of a hick. The Bison first appeared during the IU-Purdue game in 1965. He stuck around until the '67-'68 season, in which the Hoosiers went to the Rose Bowl. These mascots instilled pride in the University, and it is time to bring one back. Shifting the color of the uniforms and merchandise from red and white to cream and crimson is a given change. Following traditions such as the men's basketball cream and crimson scrimmage to even our fight song, IU's colors have historically been cream and crimson, and they should return. These changes are not bad in any way and can only help the University with its school spirit and increasing revenue. Returning to the classic colors is the way to return IU to the forefront of colleges around the nation.
yes - no - abstain
