Spring Break
Editorial: It's our school, too
Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
02/27/09 - On Wednesday night a new figure was unveiled in front of thousands of spectators in the Ryan Center.
A newly rejuvenated Rhody the Ram pranced on the courts ready to usher in the new fans and a new era for URI sports as the old one left with a suitcase.
But though many would agree Rhody needed at least a new suit, it seems that his fresh look was not as well received as one might hope.
"He looks like a bear," one student said. Another called our new mascot, "a tiger with horns."
When the university decided to cast $8,000 toward revamping our Rhody, it neglected an important voice.
Excuse me, I mean nearly 15,000 voices.
A four-person design committee decided the fate of our mascot with not one single student voice, student survey or call for designs.
When the university logo changed, students were bombarded with e-mails and surveys, questioning what symbol they felt best represented their school. There was good reason for that: It is our school.
And for a university constantly being chastised for its apathy and lack of school spirit, the administration certainly didn't give the students a chance to put their two cents in.
What better way to facilitate better school spirit than to have a mascot the students are proud of?
A ram is not the fiercest, nor the toughest animal out there. It doesn't have mega speed like a cheetah, nor is it valued for poisonous fangs. But it's our mascot.
In August, the design committee received sketches from various mascot companies. Six months later, a new Rhody is unveiled. How hard would it have been to send out an informative e-mail to the student body for their input?
After all, it's us who are supposed to attend the games, come back as alumni and help promote the university.
But it's hard to believe that the students at URI would condone spending $8,000 on a brand new Rhody, after some of the students have been here for four years.
One must think of all the character merchandise associated with Rhody. In the bookstores, freshmen buy a stuffed mascot to send home, or to their friends. Rhody adorns the covers of notebooks, dangles as a keychain or decorates a multitude of URI Bookstore clothing. It would be logical to assume that this merchandise will change, as well, making the softer Rhody the Ram a thing of the past.
Re-branding the university may not have been the most efficient use of money, but at least the students were able to voice their opinion.
A newly rejuvenated Rhody the Ram pranced on the courts ready to usher in the new fans and a new era for URI sports as the old one left with a suitcase.
But though many would agree Rhody needed at least a new suit, it seems that his fresh look was not as well received as one might hope.
"He looks like a bear," one student said. Another called our new mascot, "a tiger with horns."
When the university decided to cast $8,000 toward revamping our Rhody, it neglected an important voice.
Excuse me, I mean nearly 15,000 voices.
A four-person design committee decided the fate of our mascot with not one single student voice, student survey or call for designs.
When the university logo changed, students were bombarded with e-mails and surveys, questioning what symbol they felt best represented their school. There was good reason for that: It is our school.
And for a university constantly being chastised for its apathy and lack of school spirit, the administration certainly didn't give the students a chance to put their two cents in.
What better way to facilitate better school spirit than to have a mascot the students are proud of?
A ram is not the fiercest, nor the toughest animal out there. It doesn't have mega speed like a cheetah, nor is it valued for poisonous fangs. But it's our mascot.
In August, the design committee received sketches from various mascot companies. Six months later, a new Rhody is unveiled. How hard would it have been to send out an informative e-mail to the student body for their input?
After all, it's us who are supposed to attend the games, come back as alumni and help promote the university.
But it's hard to believe that the students at URI would condone spending $8,000 on a brand new Rhody, after some of the students have been here for four years.
One must think of all the character merchandise associated with Rhody. In the bookstores, freshmen buy a stuffed mascot to send home, or to their friends. Rhody adorns the covers of notebooks, dangles as a keychain or decorates a multitude of URI Bookstore clothing. It would be logical to assume that this merchandise will change, as well, making the softer Rhody the Ram a thing of the past.
Re-branding the university may not have been the most efficient use of money, but at least the students were able to voice their opinion.
