Because Susquehanna University’s nickname of “Crusader” was just too darn politically incorrect, the school embarked on a mission to replace the moniker with one not “at odds with [the] university’s values and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.”
And now we have the five semifinalists. Here’s how they were chosen:
–Between Dec. 2-23, we received a total of 1,828 nickname recommendations from alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends of Susquehanna. There were approximately 400 unique nickname suggestions.
–Nickname evaluation was guided by a rubric with 10 criteria: connection to SU’s mission and values; inclusivity; endurance; competitive spirit; integrity/honor; relevance to the university’s culture, history or geography; intuitiveness/clarity; logo-adaptability; and mascot-adaptability.
–Committee members reviewed nicknames individually, assessing the degree to which a nickname met the criteria. We also reviewed justifications for the nicknames that submitters provided.
–The committee met on Jan. 2 to review and discuss our aggregated evaluation results and selected the 5 semifinalists listed above to move forward in the process.
Notice “mission and values” and “inclusivity” are the first two mentioned on that rubric, natch.
RELATED: College president chides critics of political correctness, questions his school’s mascot
And heeeeeere are the names, with accompanying reasons for their selection:
BOBCATS
Native to the Susquehanna River valley
Beautiful, fierce, majestic, smart, tough
Adaptable and resilient like SU students and alumniEXPLORERS
Ties to the Global Opportunities program
Forward-looking, new frontiers, searching, demonstrates spirit of curiosity, entrepreneurial
Relevant to our past and Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, whose different ideas about educating rural pastors led to our foundingPHOENIX
A mythical creature/bird that is a sign of new beginnings
Representative of the student experience, rising up to meet new challenges over 4 years
Remarkable and unique; evolving
RELATED: The saga of Susquehanna University’s decision to replace ‘Crusader’ nickname rocks on
RIVER HAWKS
Native to the Susquehanna River valley
Broad reach/wingspan, keen vision and perspective: symbolic of how students grow and develop
Fierce, determined, powerfulRIVER OTTERS
Native to the Susquehanna River valley
Curious, playful, social, intelligent – all representative of the SU student experience
Relational to Selinsgrove’s high school nickname/mascot (Seal)
If you’re a student, parent, alum, member of the school faculty or staff, or just a friend, you can vote for your preference via this school Facebook page. The top three vote getters will be forwarded to Susquehanna’s president, L. Jay Lemons.
President Lemons then will make a final recommendation to the Susquehanna Board of Trustees by February 29.
RELATED: Susquehanna pres. assures community that ‘Crusader’ name change decision not preconceived
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