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The Search for a DU Mascot

Introducing the Mascot Steering Committee

 

We are pleased to officially introduce you to our Pioneer Mascot Steering Committee. Comprising a mix of 76 students, alumni, faculty and staff from the University of Denver community, the strength of this team comes in its variety. The goal of this group is to increase positive school spirit by helping to collaboratively craft our DU official mascot, while seeking to build transparency and two-way communication around the process.  Membership, which encompasses the wide variety of mascot opinions among the DU community, is based upon a combination of peer recommendations and response to outreach.  Their task is to help guide this process, as it moves into Phases 3 and 4 of community surveying and image refinement.  For details on these steps and how you will be invited to participate, please read more about "The Research Process" below.

What follows is a breakdown of the group's demographics, as well as a list of committee members who have offered to serve as Pioneer Point People to help clarify the process and receive community feedback. If you have any ideas or questions for the group in helping guide this process moving forward, do not hesitate to reach out to DUMascot@du.edu. One of our members will respond to you as soon as possible. Additional information on the process, timeline, potential imagery & FAQs may be found below.

We appreciate the great level of enthusiasm our DU community has expressed in this process and look forward to a future in which we will have an official mascot again!

Steering Committee Break Down : 

Students (Undergrad, Grad & Law School) = 38
Colorado Women's College = 1
University College = 1
Faculty/Staff =16
Alumni = 18

Chairs = 2 

TOTAL = 76 Pioneers

Below is a list of several DU community members who now sit on the Mascot Steering Committee and have offered to serve as mascot "point people" to any of their peers who have questions about the process being used.  They include alumni, faculty, staff, and students involved in D1 athletics, the DU Historian's Office, a wide array of student organizations, various alumni chapters, Greek Life, multiple academic departments, the Center for Multicultural Excellence, graduate/professional degrees, and more.  If you know someone in particular, please feel free to reach out to them directly.  Otherwise, email DUmascot@du.edu and one of them will respond to you directly.

Adam Hammerman
Alisa Brown
Amanda Williams
Annie Hoskinson
Charlie Severance
Cole Chapleski
Daniel Mason
Elena Breed
Hannah Mae Merten
Harper Hill
Julia Bramante
Morgan Van Riper-Rose
Nick Bowlby
Parya Mahmoudi
Paul Kosempel
Ricardo Vasquez
Rod Summers
Shannon Valerio
Steve Fisher
Vanessa Teck
Will Guy*

                                           Email us at DUMascot@du.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Goal of the current mascot study:

Without an official mascot since 2008, the goal of this mascot initiative is to incorporate the input of the DU community – including students, faculty, staff and alumni -- into developing a new mascot character to celebrate school spirit that is representative of our Pioneer community.

Q: What is the mascot study about?

The University has been without an official mascot since 2008. Inspired by a desire to have an official mascot around which to rally school spirit, community feedback over the past several months has sparked a joint effort by students, alumni, faculty and staff to develop an image that represents our Pioneer community, past, present and future.

Q: What are the next steps?

Over the past month and a half, input from hundreds of our community members has been taken into consideration to build a new mascot character. The goal is to complete the research phase by the end of Spring Quarter 2013. An online survey of final mascot concepts will be sent to all DU students, faculty, staff and alumni for additional input and refinement. Following this, the mascot steering committee will present their findings to the University Board of Trustees who will make the decision.

Q: Will past mascots be considered in the process?

The University of Denver has not had an official mascot since 2008. Our historical images shall remain in that role moving forward. Please note that plans are being made on how to honor all the positive things these characters have given our campus over the years.

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The mascot development process has just begun (Really! We are only in Phase 2 of 4. See the breakdown below) and we want and need the DU community's input and involvement. Please share your feedback through our public forums or by email, and help us find a mascot the  DU community will embrace.

If you have any questions or care to share a comment, please contact us at DUmascot@du.edu.

Facts about the mascot development process

  • Not only students, but also faculty, staff, and alumni have requested the development of a new mascot that represents the Denver Pioneer of today and the future. This new mascot will create a unifying symbol of our University spirit and a sense of belonging for the entire University community.
  • We are, and will remain, the Denver Pioneers. Our identity as Pioneers has been in place since 1925.
  • Our school colors are, and will remain, crimson and gold.
  • Our current athletic logos, the Denver arch and interlocking DU logo will also remain a part of our visual identity. This has never been in question.
  • Denver Boone has not been our mascot since 1998. Boone, as well as our other historic mascots such as Ruckus, the Fighting Parsons and Pioneer Pete, have been a part of our DU Pioneer experience for generations. These characters will remain a part of our spirit heritage and will be honored in a historic context forever.  None of these images, however, are in consideration for our official mascot moving forward.
  • We have not had an official mascot since Ruckus was retired in 2008.
  • Once a new mascot is chosen, the only elements of our spirit program that will change are the mascot costume and images of the mascot used on printed merchandise (such as t-shirts, mugs, etc.).

the research process

To develop the future DU mascot character, the University's Marketing & Communications division, along with the professional research firm Stratfix, will follow a defined process to collaborate with groups across the DU community. This process is similar to the one that led to our successful new University "shield" logo.

This project will be self-funding. The upfront dollars for the process will come in part from the student government funding and in part from a University fund. These funds will be repaid from royalties the University will receive through the sale of new mascot merchandise.

As an extension of the student task force formed in January 2013, a new mascot steering committee was created. It consists of alumni from several generations, faculty and staff representatives, and graduate and undergraduate student leaders from across campus. This steering committee will guide the research process.

At the end of the process, the mascot steering committee will recommend a final, tested mascot to the DU Board of Trustees for approval (see phase 4 below).

The research project will continue through May 31, 2013. It's broken into four phases.

PHASE 1, April 3 - 26: Exploratory Research and Concept Development
  • Through one-on-one interviews; in-person focus groups; Internet-based focus groups; and open forums including hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, and staff, the researchers will gather ideas from the community, as well as attributes that the community feels should be incorporated into the Denver Pioneer mascot.
  • Based on the ideas gathered, the mascot steering committee will work with the researchers as well as a professional graphic artist and writing team to develop initial mascot concepts. These are paragraph-long descriptions of different character ideas.
  • The mascot concepts will be presented through more one-on-one interviews, in-person focus groups, Internet-based focus groups and forums for feedback from the community.
  • See our process diagram for a summary of Phase 1 activity.
PHASE 2, April 28 - May 7: Concept Refinement

Based on the input received, the mascot steering committee, professional graphic design and writing teams will refine the preferred concepts, and further narrow down the options.

PHASE 2.5, Mid-May to Mid-June: Imagery, Sketch and Story Refinement

As this process as developed we are recognizing the need to truly enrich the imagery and stories proposed more.  Therefore further work will continue during this stage to bring on new artists, hold focused discussions of back stories, and determine the future of the Mascot Steering Committee.

PHASE 3, Mid-June: Quantitative Testing, Refinement and Recommendations
  • The final refined concepts from resulting from the research process will each include a narrative and drawing. They will be be tested via an online survey of all DU students, alumni, faculty and staff. Key community members will also be surveyed. The merits of each concept will be rated individually, not in relation to the other proposed concepts.
  • If the surveys identify a successful final concept, the mascot steering committee and student government will recommend the mascot to the chancellor and Board of Trustees for approval.
  • If the survey results don't indicate a successful candidate, the concepts will be refined further.
PHASE 4, Fall quarter 2013: "Evolution of DU's mascot" event
  • A mascot evolution event for all our historic mascots will take place on campus. This event will celebrate the invaluable roles mascots have played in shaping the University's history as we look back and honor our University history and traditions.
  • We will also host a celebration to introduce our new mascot.