“SAC Stars” is the mascot pitch from Scobee Education Center. Take the survey here to determine the new mascot. Courtesy
By Rocky Garza Jr.
rgarzazachary@student.alamo.edu
Submissions to a survey to determine a new college mascot will be accepted until 5 p.m. Feb. 15.
Jalise King-Vance takes a picture of her son Mikyl R. Vance Jr., 9, with the Gnome Ranger during the grand opening of the Welcome Center May 22, 2015. File
Christina Horton, director of strategic initiatives and chair of the mascot committee, said 246 participants have completed the survey.
Out of the 246 submissions, students accounted for 52 percent, employees 25 percent, alumni 20 percent and community members 3 percent.
Dr. Robert Vela, president of San Antonio College, Horton and the 19 committee members encourage participation from all groups to ensure the best options.
The committee presented the following as criteria for mascot recommendations.
The mascot must:
- promote a sense of community in this college.
- exhibit positive qualities.
- be gender-neutral.
- be able to stand the test of time.
- not be associated with one specific ethnic group, race or culture.
- not be a representative of a person, group or idea that oppresses a disenfranchised group.
- not be used by another institution of higher education in San Antonio.
To participate in the survey, go to Mascot Survey 1
Once the survey closes Feb. 15, the timeline for the selection of a new mascot is as follows:
Feb. 15-28: The submissions will be reviewed by the committee to narrow the proposed mascots to a list of 10 finalists.
March 1-31: A follow-up survey will be sent out with 10 finalists and participants will be allowed to choose the best recommendation for the new mascot.
San Antonio College’s mascot, The Ranger, is surrounded by coats and a bag from the fifties. The coat, from swimming instructor Rondi Wayland’s brother, and the women’s tennis shirt, from former athletic director Bill Candler’s wife, are from the 1950’s. The bag is from the baseball team that existed at this campus from 1977 to 1983. The jump suit top is from former athletic director Bill Candler himself. File
If you did not complete the first survey, you are still eligible to participate in this one.
April 1-12: The committee will review and compile follow-up survey responses to measure popularity.
April 13: Survey results will be reported to the College Council for review and presentation to Vela.
April 16: Vela reviews the recommendations and makes a final decision.
Horton said the dates are subject to change.
The history of the Ranger mascot at this college started with the college’s inception in the 1920s while under the supervision of The University of Texas at Austin.
However, the mascot has been controversial for decades because of its association with the Texas Rangers, a law enforcement agency with a history of harassing and murdering people of color in Texas.
The most recent iteration of the mascot, the Gnome “GR” Ranger, which first appeared in 2014, was retired in July, following a College Council vote by governing bodies from this college.
To learn more about the history of the Ranger mascot, go to More than a mascot — how the Ranger name echoes a racist past, published in the Ranger June 30.
For more information, email the committee at sac-mascot@alamo.edu.
