Quote:
Originally Posted by SNR
I can give an update:
When I met with the nickname committee member, I started the conversation as, "So, I know you've probably been getting bombarded with people coming up to you talking about their favorite suggestion, but I have one I'd like to discuss. Do you know what an ermine is?"
She gave a throaty laugh that seemed to say that she knew about the suggestion of ermines from the survey data that had come in, but when I asked her, she refused to say what else she knew about the data or how the committee has reacted to the idea.
She did, however, say that personally, from me just asking her, she likes it, but she doesn't know if she can support as a nickname. For one, she said, there are too many people who don't know what an ermine is, and if they're reading or hearing about it for the first time, they won't even know how to pronounce it. She also said that as much as she's against the modern trend of every mascot being something that has to destroy, wreck, maim, kill, eat, or brutalize something else, she doesn't think the student body or the president is emotionally secure enough with losing Fighting Sioux to embrace something as tame-sounding as "ermines."
The only way to make it a good idea is spread it through public support. She'd like to see a couple student/faculty groups in support of ermine as well as some local involvement in getting support for the name before it gets taken seriously. And at this point, what little gets done in that arena will probably be enough. NOBODY in this town really gives a shit, unfortunately, and if they had their way, I think UND going without a nickname would be the popular winner in a poll of the community.
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Perhaps we shouldn't tell that ermine are really good at destroying, wrecking, maiming, killing, eating, and brutalizing. Ermine are definitely not tame. I hope you enlightened her.
And do UND students not know what an ermine is? That's a failing of the North Dakota education system if so. This would be the perfect education opportunity about North Dakota's most lethal native predator.
How do we contact student groups?