Feedback Survey Participants
January 8, 2010 by wmmascot
Here’s a quick breakdown of the 11,183 individuals who completed the Mascot Search feedback survey:
- 31.0% were current students
- 49.7% were alumni
- 3.8% were parents
- 1.1% were faculty
- 1.6% were staff or administrators
- 12.8% were friends of the Tribe (i.e., not one of the above categories)
- Susan T. Evans
24 Responses to “Feedback Survey Participants”
The participation level is a good sign. Having said that, it is still evident that none of the choices–except, perhaps, for the pug–are good ones. This must have been a thankless task, and the people in charge of it deserve our sincere appreciation for putting themselves in a no-win situation. They seem to have done a good job in tough circumstances. At the end of the day, though, it’s better to have no mascot than a bad mascot. Why not an Eagle instead of one of these lame bird selections? In any event, it appears that the money spent on the mascot search could have been better spent addressing the following questions: (1) why, given a higher number of applicants, is W&M’s acceptance rate increasing, and not decreasing; (2) why have SAT scores and top 10 percent numbers been stagnant?; (3) why are we admitting bigger classes when the answer to funding problems is, in part, to admit somewhat smaller classes while raising in-state tuition somewhat? These are grave concerns, and if we take our eye of the ball by focusing too much on mascots, we will be eclipsed by other schools. Someone needs to step up and give this school a big donation–fast. Then, he or she can choose the mascot.
Since all the votes are counted now, when will the winner be announced?
The mascot should not be for sale….period.
It should be chosen carefully, honoring W&M’s long and rich history, reflecting its ideals. The mascot should become a part of W&M tradition.
It should be respectful and not be chosen based on trends in pets, movies or other transitory elements. Substance should carry the day over lobbying.
It should be an image to proudly represent the Tribe and The College over the next 300 years.
This selection process is taking forever! What in the world is taking so long?
Slowness of selection process is what I hear is a \norm\ with my beloved school. I asked a close friend at the W & M-Richmond football game what in the world would take this long? All he could do was roll his eyes and said they will probably pick a gutless rubber chicken in bright green & gold.
If the ballots are counted a winner should have been announced weeks ago.
Sigh!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t take this anymore! I check this website every hour! I NEED to know what the new mascot will be – NOW!!
Jesus! How long has this been going on! At least a year, I think. We’re a division I-AA school, not I-A. ESPN doesn’t care if we have a mascot. Our school and our division is a joke, we’re the schools that get played in the beginning of the season and get whupped so the big schools get confident.
Our football team beat UVA and went to the final four. The basketball team beat Wake Forest and then Maryland. Maryland leads the ACC in basketball.
Our division is NO JOKE. The CAA is a great representation of what colllege athletics is all about. Come on man, back the Tribe.
It has been a year on the mascot. We certainly have “making up your mind” issues. As well as “keeping people informed” issues.
Too many people on the selection committee in the first place. Have you ever tried to get a quorum of people together when they are spread wourl wide.
Typical of W & M decision making though. Ssssssssslllllllllloooooowwww and slower.
It’s been a year now. I give you. You wore me down. I don’t care anymore.
I should have gone to Harvard.
So how far from the end is the mascot search? It’s been a month since the survey closed and there hasn’t been an update since.
Could we get a timeline for when this is supposed to be -finally- resolved? Or at least an update on what is going on?
Katie asks how far from the end we are to having a new mascot.
The answer is: The twelth of never.
This has been a totally screwed up process since the beginning.
Should have gone with Asparagus. At least that was an easy laugh. There is nothing funny about this bungled mess.
I’m going to be furious if, after all this waiting, the mascot is revealed to be a phoenix. The phoenix? I mean come on! What a joke.
Pugs 4 ever!
The chance of having a new mascot that makes any sense at all will be remote. The King & Queen looked liked they came straight out of Burger King, The Phoenix is something that is more than a joke. Don’t get me started on the Griffin.
The Wrens or the Pugs are the only logical choices. But this whole process has not been logical. Anytime you put a committee together from W & M expect the unexpected along with a very long decision process.
Go “Fighting Wrens”
We can only hope the delay is due to the recognition that all the semi-finalists advanced are seriously flawed.
The griffin is the “least-bad” of the lot. It really has nothing to do with W&M but at least it is inoffensive…unlike the K&Q.
The pug copies and is inferior to the Georgetown and JMU bulldogs. The Wren is a name-only (and we remain the Tribe) and is based on a historical inaccuracy….the Wren Building…check your history. Both are weak as images for sports team. A diminutive bird and a minature dog with chronic health issues?
The phoenix has little in fact to do with W&M and lacks uniqueness: Elon phoenix, Liberty U firebirds…and of course U of Phoenix on-line school.
Be hard-pressed to do worse.
The end is near, its been nearly a year
but wait a minute, my heads not in it
it’s William & Mary I’m speaking about,
not a school with a lot of decision clout.
i think we should be the billy goats, because a group of goats is called a tribe. but of our choices, i think the wren is the best bet because at least we’d keep the feathers and not be mythical.
The wait probably has more to do with wanting incoming students to commit to W&M before they see what a lame mascot we have. President Reveley is the one making the final decision, the committee is just making recommendations. The decision has probably been made and the only recommendation was to postpone revelation.
Waiting for the incoming students to commit? If the mascot had anything to do with that decision who would go to Hokie or Wahoo land? Or who would want to be tagged as a Fighting Irishman? An Orange? A Chestnut?
The only reason we don’t have a mascot now is because the powers to be cannot make a decision. Pres. Reveley could be part of the problem sure, but the committee has tied this search up into knots by having no idea how to tag a school with a mascot. The whole process was doomed from the start.
What I want to know is why on Earth is Reveley making the decision?? Honestly, the student body is the one who will have to be dealing with the mascot so it should be a democratic decision. I just know that the student body as a whole will not tolerate the Pug as our mascot. I hope that the survey choice is given precedent as I’m sure the Pug was -last-.
I hope we do get the mascot soon though. I’ve stopped buying W&M gear until we get the decision and have some better clothing designs. Our “new and improved” logo makes for AWFUL tee and sweatshirts. If the mascot goes the same way I don’t know what I’ll do.
Perhaps the students will just have to start our own underground store with the Wooly Mammoth as our mascot.
WOOLLY MAMMOTHZ SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE FINAL BALLOT WE ARE MOST DISPLEASED
I have been following this blog since it was set up to follow the mascot search and eventual naming of our new logo & mascot. It’s a “sham”. The selection committee should be ashamed of themselves. No communication at all to what is taking so long or even what the next process would be.
It is obvious they (the committee) do not follow this blog or you would think someone would have said something. I am embarrassed by the whole process. The five finalists were not well thought out or well presented. A frigging Griffin, who would want to be associated with a Griffin. Mr. & Mrs Burger King or The Phoenix, a burning freaking bird rising out of the ashes. What ashes? Did something burn down that I’m not aware? How about a dog that cannot even reproduce without science intervening. Let the ugly, drooling thing die off. Now, last but not least, The Wren. Probably the only real thought given to a mascot here. But certainly not the best there is out there. But the best we have.
Yet, we wait. Wait for a group of people that have the schools best interest in mascot selection. NOT.
Our footballs team went to the final four with no mascot. Our basketball team won twenty games with no mascot.
We went through an entire school year with no mascot.
We don’t need one. Tell the committee to stop working so hard on this project. They can all rest up for the next crisis the NCAA has in hand for us. X-Pres Nichols is gone so I don’t anticipate much will be needed in the form of needless committees any further.
To the committee: You had a good run. You did the best you could do. Relax, take a break.
I hope they go with the griffin. It’s Latin so it makes the most sense with the Tribe (original definition with it being a division of the Roman Republic). That way there can a comback for when people criticize the Tribe name.
I’m not sure why nobody thought of Big Green to be your mascot.
He could be a Big Green Monster in line with like a giant muppet or something. I mean your fight song does say:
“Oh, we will fight, fight, fight for the Tribe,
Each time the Big Green team appears.”