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| 11/4/2009 12:09:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| The bat and owl are among suggestions for the ACC mascot. |
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Batty over a mascot
With local branch, ACC seeks suggestions in picking a mascot
Bats, armadillos, owls and eagles oh my!
The Austin Community College District is looking for a mascot - and is asking students, faculty and staff and the community to contribute ideas on what the new ACC mascot should look like.
The college set up a Web page, austincc.edu/mascot, to take suggestions. Ideas submitted so far include bats, armadillos and owls, said ACC media relations coordinator Alexis Patterson. Since Oct. 28, ACC officials have received, through the Web site, more than 230 suggestions for the new mascot, Patterson said.
ACC officials even solicited names for the new mascot last weekend at the Texas Book Festival at the Texas Capitol, she said.
"We're looking for something that genuinely resonates with the community," said Brette Lea, ACC executive director of public information and college marketing and chair of the mascot committee. "It is so important to build a college-going culture, and the mascot will be a key part of that. A mascot creates a sense of excitement tied to education and makes people feel more connected to the college. We think the mascot will help with school spirit and creating rich traditions."
After collecting ideas, the committee will come up with a list of three to five mascot finalists, based on frequency of the suggestion, connection to the college mission and focus group research. The winner will then be selected by an online vote. The public will vote on the mascot in the spring based on the three to five finalists, Patterson said. The ACC Board of Trustees will then make the final decision based on the finalists and the voting results in the spring, she said.
In researching the college's history, it was discovered that at one point ACC did have a mascot - an eagle, with school colors of black and gold. That lasted for a short period of time in the 1970s.
"We think this is going to build school spirit and give ACC a lasting tradition," said Avy Gonzalez, a student on the mascot search committee. "It's cool to be part of something that will have a big impact at ACC long after we finish school.
Lea said the committee wants to take its time and find the right fit as a mascot for ACC.
"We want to be very thorough in the search process, so that we find a mascot that really takes root," Lea said. "The committee wants to do this search process the right way to make sure the mascot sticks. We want the suggestions to support the vision and mission of ACC to reflect who we are and to make this mascot something we can be proud of. Who knows, the eagle may make a comeback. It's up to the community."
The mascot search is a collaboration of the Student Government Association, Student Life, and the Public Information and College Marketing Department.
The mascot suggestion process is open to current and former students and all community members, Patterson said.
To submit mascot suggestions go to austincc.edu/mascot and also follow the mascot link searches on Facebook and Twitter.
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