If you are not in favor of a new University mascot, the time to tell the Illinois Student Senate is now. Though it may already be too late.

It’s been five years since Chief Illiniwek was retired from the University of Illinois as mascot for the namesake Illini. A mascot idea contest hosted by the RSO Campus Spirit Revival will take submissions in the form of student drawings or designs through the end of the month. If everything goes according to plan, the organization will then host an online student vote for the top 5 favorite new mascot ideas from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1.

Efforts to fill the void of an acrobatic representative for sports games and a culturally sensitive character on orange sweatshirts are not new. But this time, the movement to select a new mascot has a little extra umph: the support of ISS. The Senate’s support for a new mascot then could be backed by the campus’ administration.

The RSO’s Facebook page explains it was “created by students as a vessel to communicate to U of I Administration, that students want an exciting, rallying, and unity building symbol for U of I, where we currently have none.”

No symbol for the University, you say? Interesting. Because I recall a certain statue that is currently undergoing an intensive restoration to return said statue to campus before May graduation. And as far as symbols go, I also often notice a particular letter bathed in obnoxious orange that seems to serve just fine as an identifiable icon. If it is so crucial that this University be represented by an animal, a piece of farm equipment or an ear of corn (yes, those are all current contest submissions), what does that say about our loyalty to a school that, financially troubled or not, is currently in some way shaping our lives?

Certainly I have no issue with school pride; I was wearing orange and blue as soon as I was accepted to Illinois, which is a lot to ask of a girl from Penn State country. I love my school, and I respect those people who make up organizations whose interests are to better the campus environment. What I do not appreciate, however, is shady politics.

ISS is made up of intelligent, well-intentioned individuals who are proud to be Illini. So why are they backing a particular RSO instead of acting as an unbiased platform for students on both sides of the new mascot debate? Senators, whether on a student or professional council, have an obligation to represent and act in the interest of those who elected them — us.

Didn’t vote? Doesn’t matter — those in ISS are still in that office to represent you, the student.

Politics is not the topic of choice for some casual conversations. Then there are those on this campus who are both interested and talented when it comes to working in the world of government. But regardless of political affiliation (or lack thereof), what every student needs to understand right now is what the heck is going on at this school.

“The Illinois Student Senate would like to invite students to provide feedback to current submissions and to offer submissions to the Campus Spirit Revival student organization’s goal of proposing a new mascot to the University Administration,” said ISS in a massmail.

The first part of this announcement is fine. Indeed, ISS should encourage students to get involved in different aspects of campus culture. But once a governing body endorses a cause, as ISS did in the massmail, that group loses its legitimacy with its electorate. What about those graduate and undergraduate students who are not ready for or just not interested in a new mascot? Will their voices be heard? Maybe.

“The University has not committed to anything, but if the group approaches the administration with feasible ideas, officials would listen,” wrote campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler in an email. “The creation of most campus traditions, including the Chief, began with individual students whose ideas resonated with others. Whether anything comes of this contest will depend on it resonating with others in the Illinois family.”

The divide over Chief Illiniwek left a taste sour enough that some students feel a minty-fresh new representative could wash out. But this is not a negotiation over the Chief. Conflicted as we may be, we are all still Illini. Whether we hail to the orange, take pictures with Alma or express our distaste for a certain team in Michigan through colorful verbiage, this school has spirit. And as students, we need our Illinois Student Senate to represent all our ideas, not just those that serve a fraction of campus interest.

This University doesn’t need a new mascot — it needs a watchdog.

Renée is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].