Ilmie Xhaferi

When I first found out that our publication needed someone to take initiative and cover the Mascot Selection Committee meetings, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the mascot selection process. I was grateful to the committee organizers and the student representatives for taking the time to share the process with me and give me updates as to when the mascot would be revealed. However, I was a little taken aback at their decision to keep the committee meetings closed off to the public. As a student journalist, you’re eager to see firsthand how a decision-making process came about and what people had to say about certain topics. While I understand that the committee had its own reasons to make the meetings private, I still wished that the student representatives and committee organizers would have been more transparent about certain aspects of the selection process. More specifically, I wish they could have been more open as to what some of the mascot options were before they announced the final three suggestions so that the student body could be in the loop as to what options were on the table. Regardless, I am grateful for the conversations I’ve had with the student representatives and organizers, and I’m happy that our school can move on from the Indian nickname and welcome a new mascot.