When votes were tallied, 2,510 students voted to approve the initiative, and 856 voted “no.”<\/p>\n
“My goal was primarily to give voice to the students,” said Artair Rogers, president of UM’s Associated Student Body government. “I am pleased with the results.”<\/p>\n
The next step is for ASB leaders to decide how to select a Student Mascot Committee, which will develop and propose a new mascot. Rogers said he hopes to present a plan to the ASB Senate and to the chancellor next week.<\/p>\n
“We have thought a lot about this, and we will propose that the Student Leadership Advisory Committee, along with two student-athletes from the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, develop criteria for selecting 12 to 15 students through an open application process to serve on the Student Mascot Committee,” Rogers said.<\/p>\n
“A mascot’s role is to unite fans, and school spirit is a student issue,” said Sparky Reardon, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students. “I am proud of our student leaders for initiating this effort and allowing all students a chance to have a vote in this process,” Reardon said. “The process is as important as the result.”<\/p>\n
In today’s referendum, students voted on whether to endorse a student-led effort to propose a new on-field mascot for the Ole Miss Rebels. The old mascot, Colonel Rebel, was retired from the field in 2003. The university has not had a mascot since.<\/p>\n
University officials stated earlier that they would support a student-led effort to develop and propose a new mascot, but that UM’s athletics teams would remain the “Ole Miss Rebels,” and the school’s colors would not change.<\/p>\n
“Our students think of themselves as ‘Ole Miss Rebels’. They are today’s Ole Miss Rebels, and they want a new on-field mascot that represents their spirit and energy,” Chancellor Dan Jones said. “They will lead the effort to create a mascot that they think will improve school spirit and the game-day experience for themselves and others.”<\/p>\n
As students begin the process, they will invite input from other UM constituents, such as alumni, fans and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi students who voted in today’s campus elections indicated they are in favor of a student-led effort to propose a new on-field mascot to represent the Ole Miss Rebels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[345],"yoast_head":"\n