Written by: Lesieli Savelio and Alissa Flores
In March 2023, the President’s Cabinet approved a bear mascot for Southern Adventist University, an initiative proposed by Student Association (SA) earlier that school year. This year’s SA introduced the mascot, a black bear dressed in a green Southern T-shirt, to the student body at events in the fall.
Since then, the bear has appeared at more events, administration has created a task force to promote the new mascot, and individuals on campus have expressed opposing opinions about its implementation, with many voicing that they prefer the duck, considered the unofficial mascot of Southern before the bear was introduced. The duck has been the inspiration for such Southern traditions as the School of Health and Kinesiology’s Duck Walk and the Accent’s “Find Kevin” And “Ask Kevin” newspaper features.
Mascot Task Force
According to Justin Moore, associate vice president for Financial Administration, University President Ken Shaw recently asked him to chair a task force to promote the bear on campus. He stated that the task force is made up of five people, including himself.
“The goal of our task force is to come up with ideas and a plan to further integrate the bear all over campus,” he said.
Another duty of the task force includes creating a list of name options for the mascot.
“I think a good, catchy name is important to have,” Moore said. “If you look at other universities around the country, they often have names that are catchy and roll off the tongue easily.”
Once finished, the list of names and plan for implementation will be shared with the President’s Council, according to Moore. The President’s Council, formerly known as the President’s Cabinet, consists of Shaw and administrative vice presidents. The task force plans to include students and alumni in the voting process after the list is narrowed down.
Janell Hullquist, director of Marketing and University Relations, said that voting will most likely take place at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
Where’s the Bear Been?
Jared Chandler, current SA president, spoke with the Accent about SA’s use of the mascot this school year.
“We probably should have used [the mascot] a little bit more,” he said in a voice message.
Chandler said overseeing the mascot did not fall under any SA member’s job description, which led the group to use it only at events where the mascot would be considered a necessity, such as Organizational Showcase, or at events where the bear was requested, such as the Giving Day Finale.
Chandler said he believes the mascot is important because it presents a great way to enhance school spirit. He would like to see it implemented at more university events.
“I think it’d be cool to see it at more intramural games,” Chandler said. “I think that’s where it would be increasing school spirit, encouraging students to come out and support, especially at intramural final games.”
“The goal of our task force is to come up with ideas and a plan to further integrate the bear all over campus.”
Although SA has not yet reached its desired level of using the mascot, the group would like the bear to eventually become a large part of Southern’s culture, Chandler said. He thinks next year’s SA will do more with the bear, but future use will ultimately be determined by the next SA president or Shaw’s new mascot task force.
“Whatever they see best, they’ll do it,” he said.
The Accent contacted Edvan Benitez, next year’s SA president, through text.
When asked about his plans for the mascot, Benitez wrote: “If I’m completely honest, I haven’t really [thought] about it. … I know that the Student Development office wants to implement it more, and maybe we will redesign our SA logo in which we will add the bear on it. But besides that, I don’t know.
“Also the fact that I’m not passionate about the bear is another factor,” he continued. “I will try to use [it] as much as the school and administration wants to promote it, but for me, personally, [it] is not one of my priorities right now.”
Student Opinion
Chandler said, “I think when it comes to students having a big opinion regarding the mascot, there’s always a few that are hanging onto the duck, but I feel like the majority of the students are fairly indifferent.”
Referencing polls conducted last school year, Chandler said some students like the bear more than the duck.
“It’s my understanding that the students picked the bear over having the duck as a mascot,” he said.
“Also the fact that I’m not passionate about the bear is another factor. I will try to use [it] as much as the school and administration wants to promote it, but for me, personally, [it] is not one of my priorities right now.”
In October 2022, the Senate Mascot Committee, composed of three student leaders, spoke to about 300 students before deciding to propose a bear mascot, according to a previous Accent article. The committee also conducted an online survey of 208 students in the Winter 2023 semester to gauge reactions to the bear. Results were positive, committee members told the Accent last year.
The Accent conducted a poll last week on Instagram asking users for their thoughts on Southern’s mascot. Thirty-nine unique users responded to the question: “What do you think of the mascot?” Nineteen expressed a desire for the return of the duck. A few additional users left mascot-related comments at the end of the poll.
Senior mass communication-photography major Lila Odhiambo shared her thoughts.
“The bear came out of nowhere,” Odhiambo wrote. “If there was ever an animal related to Southern, it’s the duck.”
Xavier Quiles, a recent Southern graduate, shared that he did not appreciate the way Student Senate made the decision to propose a bear without more student input, and he feels that the bear is a “cliché and unoriginal” mascot.
Ronn Agustin, senior English major, wrote that he believes the bear is not a good choice for a school that does not play competitive sports; stylistically the bear seems “aggressive and fierce,” he shared.
“[The] bear just seemed so forced and tone deaf,” Agustin said. “Rather than solidifying the identity of the student body, it just made us more divided and confused.”
“[The] bear just seemed so forced and tone deaf. Rather than solidifying the identity of the student body, it just made us more divided and confused.”
Some students shared their opinions on the mascot costume, stating that it looks scary or “uncanny and unnerving.”
Emily White, senior music theory and literature major, wrote, “I am honestly very scared of it. … I bet I could run a 5K in sub-20 minutes with that thing chasing me around.”
However, a couple student respondents demonstrated support for the bear.
“The bear looks good!” Esteban Grajales, senior theology major, wrote. “I feel that more people will like it as years go by and it gets used more.”
Seth Mace, sophomore marketing major, wrote: “Bear is cool, but bring back the [duck].”
Bear Versus Duck
Moore said he understands the mascot is a sensitive topic for some and that some people feel attached to the duck. However, the task force he leads just wants to find ways to integrate the bear across campus since it is the official mascot.
“As [the duck] was never an official mascot, we don’t want there to be confusion between it and the bear,” Moore said. “Change never is easy, but my hope is that as faculty and staff we can rally around this new mascot and embrace it.”
When asked if the task force plans to remove Kevin from the Accent, Moore responded, “It only makes sense to substitute the bear for duck-themed things around campus, as this is now our official mascot.”
Kevin is a small green duck hidden in each print issue of the Accent. Students who find him and, in an Instagram message, alert the Accent of their discovery are entered into a drawing. Winners of the random drawing are eligible to receive a gift card.
According to Tierra Hayes, a former Accent editor who graduated from Southern in 2020, the Accent created Kevin in 2017, and the Accent team used to hide rubber ducks on campus for students to find. Last school year, under the editorial leadership of Southern alumna Alana Crosby, the Accent created “Dear Kevin,” an advice column in which Kevin the Duck answers students’ questions.
Hullquist confirmed in an email to the Accent that “the duck,” the unofficial mascot of Southern, did not have a name.
“The bear looks good! I feel that more people will like it as years go by and it gets used more.”
“The duck was never formally voted as the institution’s mascot, but it was used as the unofficial mascot for more than a decade,” Hullquist stated.
In response to the Accent’s recent Instagram poll, the majority of users referred to the old mascot as “the duck,” but a couple referenced him as Kevin.
On Tuesday, April 2, Samuel Mora Zepeda, a senior history major and student senator, sent his constituents an email with the following message:
“If you are not aware, last year the controversial decision was made to make a bear the official school mascot over the famous duck. As your senator, I want to represent you all as accurately as I can. I want to know how you all feel about the change that happened and if you would like to see a change. Please fill out this super short survey about the school’s mascot. Your response will help [me] know my future course of action, and I do not want to disappoint you all.”
The email included a Google Form asking respondents how they felt about the bear mascot and asking them to choose between the duck and the bear. Last Monday, Mora Zepeda told the Accent through text that 64% of his constituents prefer the duck over the bear. He added that he prefers the duck as well, and he plans to present his findings to Student Senate.
“But this doesn’t mean that Senate is planning to change the mascot. I will just be showing my findings,” he wrote.
Mora Zepeda said he does not oppose the implementation of an official mascot.
“The reality is that a mascot is simply used for marketing purposes. However, I think it can go way beyond that,” he stated in a text to the Accent. “There is the fact, which I have already mentioned, which is unity and identity. However, there is so much more. A mascot provides entertainment and engagement in student life, which is a positive for any university to have. Spirit and pride is another thing that a mascot can provide, which is something positive.”
The Sports Dilemma
As reported by the Accent last year, the School of Health and Kinesiology opposed the implementation of an official bear mascot because its faculty believed the mascot did not represent the university well.
“[The mascot] embodies our culture and what we stand for at Southern. A lot of students at Southern are very active in the outdoors, and I think the [bear] mascot embodies that as well.”
“Mascots are associated with interscholastic sports teams,” said Robert Benge, now former dean of the School of Health and Kinesiology, in a previous Accent article. Benge retired last summer.
“We don’t play interscholastic sports here [at Southern],” he continued, “so we didn’t see the relevance of it.”
Of the nine full-time faculty working in the School of Health and Kinesiology at the time, not one approved of the bear mascot. Benge and Judy Sloan, the current dean of the school, explained their stance in a letter shared with the deans and chairs, vice presidents and the President’s Cabinet last school year. In another Accent article published last winter, Shaw said the bear would not push the school to incorporate intercollegiate sports.
Kenneth Bautista, 2022-2023 SA president, also told the Accent last year that the mascot was “not intended to represent a university sports team, but to create a sense of community and become something with which each student can identify.”
When asked by the Accent this semester about the School of Health and Kinesiology’s current stance on the bear mascot, Mike Boyd, associate professor in the school, stated: “The School of Health and Kinesiology made a statement last year that has not changed.”
Chandler said he believes the biggest backlash to the bear mascot came from the School of Health and Kinesiology. He added, however, that implementation of the mascot has not caused a push for intercollegiate sports.
Chandler believes the bear represents Southern’s emphasis on outdoor recreation and fits well with that brand.
“[The mascot] embodies our culture and what we stand for at Southern,” he said. “A lot of students at Southern are very active in the outdoors, and I think the [bear] mascot embodies that as well.
“[Our campus] being in the forest, we like to do things outdoors in nature, especially on Saturdays,” he continued, pointing out that Southern offers numerous adventurous and outdoor activities, such as rock climbing and backpacking.
Editor-in-chief Amanda Blake contributed to this article.
