UNLV drops mascot; 'no plans' for new one
The University of Nevada-Las Vegas will retire it's "Hey, Reb!" mascot after previously relocating the statue.
The UNLV president determined after a campus listening tour that the best course of action is to have no mascot.
The University of Nevada-Las Vegas has decided to retire its “Hey Reb!” mascot, while still keeping its Rebels nickname.
According to the Associated Press, After nearly 40 years, UNLV President Keith Whitfield announced the permanent cancelation of the mascot.
[RELATED: UNLV president rejects calls to abandon Rebels mascot]
In Whitfield’s announcement he stated that “personally, I have always viewed the term ‘Rebels’ as a strong, nationally recognized brand synonymous with UNLV. I believe the word ‘rebel’ represents an attitude or spirit. It captures the essence of an iconic city that is unconventional and celebrates its independence, tenacity, and resiliency.”
Whitfield’s predecessor, Marta Meana, said during her time as acting president that the future of the mascot would be under review.
But, Whitfield announced that, “for all intents and purposes, the Hey Reb! mascot has been retired since last spring and there are no plans to bring it back,” adding that there are “no plans” to introduce a new moniker.
[RELATED: Student leaders use Capitol riot to cancel ‘Crusader’ mascot]
The mascot was renamed in 1982 to “Hey Reb!,” about 15 years after the school removed confederate imagery around the logo because of student objection, but kept the Rebels nickname.
“UNLV will join the likes of the universities of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Central Michigan that have no mascot — as well as the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and New York Jets,” the university president stated.
As Campus Reform previously reported, students have been calling on the school to remove the mascot since 2015, when former school president Len Jessup refused to remove the figure during his time there.
In a 60-page report, UNLV determined in 2015 that “that there is no reason for eliminating either the Rebels nickname or the Hey Reb! mascot due to any Confederate connection. In other words, neither the Rebels nickname nor Hey Reb! have a Confederate connection.”
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