Valley Hawks, Fighting Poets, others who will replace Lord Jeff? – Amherst Bulletin

AMHERST Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost and other famed artists who lived and worked in town could represent the athletic program at Amherst College as the fighting poets.

Its also possible the next mascot for the college will be represented not by pugilistic imagery or writers, but rather by animals that inhabit the regions woods and skies, such as Wolves or Valley Hawks. Perhaps an extinct species that once roamed the Earth, like the Mammoth, whose skeleton is on display in a campus museum.

Or maybe the college will stick with the name recently applied to its athletics program: The Purple & White.

On Thursday, college officials unveiled the final five mascot choices, selected by the mascot committee, that will be the subject of a vote by students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the college. An online vote will run from Monday through March 31.

The process to pick a new mascot follows the removal of the controversial Lord Jeff as Amhersts unofficial mascot early in 2016.

Lord Jeff was cut from the team following a student demonstration for increased equity at the school in November 2015. Many students, faculty and alumni objected to the long-used mascot because of historical evidence that Lord Jeffery Amherst advocated employing germ warfare to wipe out American Indian tribes.

The colleges mascot committee received more than 2,000 suggestions, amounting to nearly 600 unique ideas. After soliciting the input of 441 student and alumni delegates, officials revealed the 30 semi-finalists in January.

Two of the top vote getters in that earlier round, Hamsters and Moose, failed to make the final cut.

The vote will feature an instant run off, or rank choice voting, where voters will be asked to put the finalists in order from favorite to least favorite. If one of the five wins a majority, it will be the next mascot. If none get this majority initially, then the votes will be dispersed until one achieves a majority.

The colleges website provides background information about why each mascot choice is appropriate.

The Fighting Poets doesnt signify any specific artist, even though Dickinson lived in Amherst and Frost taught at the college. Rather, it celebrates multiple poets who have taught, studied or written poetry in association with the college or town of Amherst.

Mammoths has a college connection, with the Beneski Museum of Natural History displaying the skeleton of a Proboscidea, unearthed by Professor Frederick Brewster Loomis and brought to town in 1925.

Purple & White have been the colleges colors since April 30, 1868. Its served as the unofficial nickname of sports teams for the past several months.

The Valley Hawks mascot, according to the college website, would reflect pride in the campus bird sanctuary and the colleges other connections to avian studies.

Finally, the website notes: Known for their keen senses, intelligence and power, wolves collaborate and care for one another in packs, but they can also represent individuality and independence.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.

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Valley Hawks, Fighting Poets, others who will replace Lord Jeff? - Amherst Bulletin