For the first time since 2016, California Lutheran University will have a mascot suit, according to an Oct. 8 email from Student Life. The gender-neutral character will replace two gendered suits the university previously used.ย
Director of Student Life Andrea Layne said in an email interview that the Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government has been in talks about a new mascot suit since 2017. The project is driven and sponsored by ASCLUG.
“For many years, Cal Lutheran had two physical mascot suitsโa Kingsman and a Regal. The mascot suits were last used in 2016 when they unfortunately had to be retired due to the incredible amount of use they had gotten,โ Layne said.
ASCLU President Ashlyn Bryson-Beane said recent discussions were accelerated in response to student demand.
โWe had actually gotten questions from students who wanted to be the mascot. We wanted a more gender-neutral โฆ mascot to attend events,โ Bryson-Beane said.
Layne said discussions are underway to help determine details surrounding mascot protocol and at which events the mascot will appear.ย
“ASCLUG and Student Life are working together to form a committee to discuss mascot protocols and guidelines which will help determine some of the events the mascot will participate in, but also other factors such as schedules, logistics, etc. will be taken into consideration,โ Layne said.
Bryson-Beane said she expects the mascot to be in attendance at a variety of Cal Lutheran events.
โ[The mascot] will attend athletic games, new student orientation, โฆ things like that, for it to just be present,โ Bryson-Beane said.
Students were asked to submit name ideas for the new mascot in the Oct. 8 email from Student Life. Bryson-Beane said the ASCLUG executive board narrowed the submissions down to five or six finalists, which will be reviewed by the Student Affairs Committee.
โSome of the name suggestions were a little out there. We kind of picked based off of what we felt like made the most sense, and if a name was a repeat then we kept it in,โ Bryson-Beane said.
The top name contenders are still under wraps pending approval before moving on to a campus-wide vote, according to Bryson-Beane and the Oct. 8 email.
Bryson-Beane said ASCLUG designed the mascot and was mindful about keeping the design gender-neutral.
โWe had someone do a mockup, and then it kind of went through [the Student Affairs Committee], and they confirmed it as well,โ Bryson-Beane said. โWe just wanted a more gender-neutral-looking [mascot]. The Regal looked very similar, but it was, like, in a skirt โฆ and maybe had more feminine features.โ
Ken Flores, president of Cal Lutheranโs Pride Club, said in an email interview having two mascot suits was โclunky,โ and that they are glad there will be a new mascot for students who might fall outside of the gender binary to identify with.
“Overall, I think CLU does a good job, and this is a step in the right direction. I personally have always thought the Kingsmen/Regal divide was a bit clunky and excluded students who didn’t cleanly fit into either category,” Flores said. “This change is more aware of modern gender norms and creates space for non-binary students to identify with the mascot.”
While the timeline for the campus-wide vote is unknown, Bryson-Beane said she is looking forward to ASCLUG introducing the new mascot to the Cal Lutheran community.
โWeโre excited,โ Bryson-Beane said. โItโs, like, a fun little thing for universities to have. We hope students take to it well and enjoy interacting with whoeverโs in the mascot.โ
