Emma Ambroziac / The Mossy Log
As the Spring semester comes to an end, the anticipated mascot change is still on student’s minds. The Mascot Advisory & Selection Committee (MASC), a body made up of current students, faculty, staff and alumni, shared an update with The Mossy Log.
The mascot proposal submission form released earlier this year garnered responses from over 1,800 individuals, including 658 current students (36.5% of submissions), which gave the committee 414 unique possible mascot options. Currently, MASC has narrowed the options to a final 25. Methods used in these decisions have been statistical tools like pairwise comparisons and Likert scales, along with lots of group discussion among committee members. The committee’s goal is to narrow the list of potential mascots to 4-10 finalists in the month of May.
Finalists are scheduled to be announced over the summer, with voting for the new mascot set to take place early in the Fall 2025 semester. Current students, staff, faculty and alumni will be eligible to vote MASC hopes to officially announce the new mascot in the fall, according to the Mascot Captains who have helped organize the mascot selection process this year.
The six Mascot Captains, including Director of Athletics Communications Seth Orensky, commented in an email on the effect the mascot change will have on athletics at Lewis & Clark.
“We are excited about the change. We expect that the entire campus will have a transition period over the next few years, as we work to weave the new mascot into our campus … While it will take some time, we are excited to see the new traditions our athletics teams build centered around a new mascot,” Orensky said.
Though the change will have an immediate and undeniable effect on athletes, who frequently represent LC as the Pioneers at sporting events, Orensky also acknowledged that the mascot change will impact all aspects of student life at LC.
“This mascot will represent the entire campus. We are hoping to provide a group of finalists, that no matter which mascot is selected, that all of our student groups, campus and alumni can be proud of and be excited to be represented by. We are looking forward to seeing the new mascot everywhere on campus in the coming years,” Orensky said
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