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Lewis & Clark College says Newfoundland dog ‘implies the erasure of Indigenous culture‘
Another American history-based mascot has been canceled.
Lewis & Clark College recently announced that its new “confident and proud” River Otter mascot will be unveiled Feb. 20, replacing the Pioneer.
“Designing Lewis & Clark’s river otter is a daunting task,” the private Oregon college stated in a Jan. 23 news release. “Our otter needs to be fierce enough for athletic competition, cute enough to appear on merch, smart enough to get through the admissions process, and friendly enough to be a part of our community.”
Last year, the Portland college decided to get rid of its 80-year-old Pioneer mascot because some felt it was “inextricably linked with settler colonialism.”
“The decision to change the mascot reflects feedback from students, alumni, faculty, and the broader community, about the need for a mascot that can help build school spirit and be embraced by the whole community,” according to the college webpage about the mascot replacement process.
The webpage also says the Pioneer still will be “acknowledged as part of our college’s history.”
Notably, the college’s leaders also rejected the Newfoundland, a breed of dog, as a replacement mascot due to concerns about political correctness.
“The breed is named after the island of Newfoundland, now part of Canada, reflecting the perspective of those Europeans who first encountered the island in the late 15th century, ignoring the long presence of Indigenous populations on the island,” the webpage states. “We do not want to embrace a mascot that implies the erasure of Indigenous culture, history, and people.”
Last fall, students, faculty, staff, and alumni chose the river otter from a list of eight possible choices, The Mossy Log reported.
According to the student newspaper, some alumni expressed disappointment at the change, with one describing the newly proposed mascots as “generic” and “uncontroversial.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, another college also is getting ready to ditch its mascot for one that is “gender-neutral.”
Franklin & Marshall College is a private institution in Pennsylvania named after Benjamin Franklin and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. Its two mascots are based on those Founding Fathers.
In October, the college established a committee to seek out a new mascot “that is fun, gender-neutral, and full of personality—a character that sparks connection, excitement, and a sense of belonging,” The College Fix reported previously.
Last year, Smith College also replaced its pioneer mascot after some students called it a symbol of “colonialist” oppression and “Indigenous erasure.”
Other higher education institutions also have replaced their mascots in recent years due to complaints about inclusivity and political correctness.
These include Valparaiso, Northwest Nazarene, Maranatha Baptist, and Susquehanna universities all getting rid of their “Crusaders” mascots after protesters argued the name was associated with “hate groups,” The Fix reported.
In 2021, New School, a private arts university in New York, adopted a “non-binary” “social justice warrior” mascot known as Gnarls Narwhal, The Fix reported at the time.
MORE: Students demand U. Oregon remove pioneer statue, ‘monument to violent white supremacy’
