The Alma Mater’s open arms have served as a warm, welcoming symbol to prospective freshmen, current students and proud alumni for decades. This year, the University community is experiencing a brief loss of that warmth, felt any time we pass the void where Alma typically sat. Her absence is soothed by the fact that we know she will be back in time for graduation in May, and, better yet, she will be refreshed and revitalized after an intense restoration process.

During Alma’s vacation, the University has elected to leave the space atop her inscribed base completely empty. Let’s be honest, who or what could ever replace her?

The answer is no one and it is for this very reason that the campaign currently being pushed by the student group Campus Spirit Revival, is so disappointing.

This group of students has decided that we, as a student body, would like a new mascot to replace Chief Illiniwek because the group feels that “a new official mascot is needed for the present and future.” This effort comes after several years of debate amongst past and present University community members and the eventual removal of the Chief in 2007.

CSR has not put forward a specific alternative to our current lack of a physical mascot. Instead, they are inviting students to submit ideas for a contest. The group hopes to then organize a campus-wide vote where current students will be able to rank their five favorite options that will, in turn, be included in a report to University administrators.

This attempt to create a “unity building symbol” for students past, present and future is admirable and appears to have only the best intentions behind it. That being said, this group does not seem to grasp what has truly tied the global Illinois community together since 1867. In fact, no one thing ties this community together — including Chief Illiniwek.

I chose to attend the University of Illinois for many reasons. The academic rigor, unbeatable nightlife and the overall college feel of campus were crucial to shaping my final decision.

However, the overarching theme that touches on each of those and so many more is tradition.

Anyone who has ever studied, worked or lived in the campus community of this University does not point to the Chief as the sole reason for why they love it so much. Instead, they point to the tradition of what it means to be an Illini. Whether it be a home football game, a night out at KAM’S or a day lounging on the Quad, students point to what constitutes being an Illini as the thing that binds them together with those that came before and those that will come later. This even includes a brutal all-nighter studying in the UGL and living through the strange weather that Champaign-Urbana offers.

Although the Chief or any mascot serves as a symbol that theoretically ties what it means to be an Illini in a nice little bow, implementing any of the options currently being considered in CSR’s Facebook group would be an insult to proud alumni, unfair to future Illini and just embarrassing for those of us who currently attend the University. Current options include an owl, a Kraken and even a tree. 

Imagine, for a second, that the University had launched a Facebook competition to replace the Alma Mater with sculptures or statues submitted by art students on campus. The attempts would be interesting to see but none would be able to replace the historical importance of the Alma Mater. The University’s decision to leave Alma’s spot empty was respectful, and her brief absence does not diminish the meaning that spot has to Illini everywhere.

On top of everything previously mentioned, Campus Spirit Revival’s greatest fallacy seems to come in their name as it implies that the spirit of this campus and Illini everywhere need to be revived. Although the Chief no longer appears on clothing or during halftime at football games, the tradition and spirit that he represented is as strong as ever.

In fact, while working at a college clothing store over winter break, I encountered an Illinois alum shopping for his girlfriend who also attended the University. When we had this shared connection of being Illini, we talked about our majors, favorite campus eateries and how awful this year’s football season went. And not the Chief.

This conversation, superficial as it was, was fueled by a commonality — pride in our school and not our mascot. 

Conversations like that represent the Illini spirit better than any mascot ever could, be it Abe Lincoln, a tree, an owl or a Kraken.

John is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].