Ever wanted to name a university's mascot? Now's your chance!

[RealSNR]

The University of North Dakota got rid of the Fighting Sioux in 2012, and since that time, they have been simply "The University of North Dakota." No mascot. Fighting Sioux was beloved by the community of Grand Forks largely because of the tradition associated with it in the university's college hockey program, which has been historically and recently one of the top college hockey programs in the NCAA.

The university has finally assembled a committee to look through suggestions and recommend a new mascot to the president of the university. They just need the suggestions. That's where you come in. Simply click the link and fill out the online form: http://und.edu/nickname/

Here are the basic guidelines to consider (from the UND announcement):

Spoiler!

Online suggestions, which must be 25 characters or less (including any spaces), will be accepted from Wednesday, April 1 at 8 a.m. CDT to Thursday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. All mail-in submissions must be postmarked no later than April 25.

The Nickname Committee will evaluate submissions based on a list of attributes that the group has developed:

• Be unique, recognizable, inspiring, and distinctly UND’s;
• Promote a sense of pride, strength, fierceness, and passion;
• Be representative of the state and region in a way that honors the traditions and heritage of the past but also looks to the future; and
• Be a unifying and rallying symbol.

Submissions are anonymous; individuals submitting suggestions will not be asked to provide their names. All nickname submissions are subject to North Dakota open records law. Individuals submitting nickname suggestions are not entitled to compensation or anything of value in exchange for the submission, and all submissions become the property of the University of North Dakota.

The Committee will accept suggestions for nicknames only. Drawings, designs, logos, art files, special characters, etc. will not be considered.

Nickname suggestions will be sent directly to PadillaCRT, a group that has national expertise in nickname development and that has been advising the Nickname Committee. Any nickname suggestions known to be trademarked and/or subject to third-party rights or uses may not be considered by the Committee.

Since I'm originally from Grand Forks, I have connections to people who are abuzz with this process. I can tell you that there are already some favorites being championed:

--Flickertails. This was the university's mascot prior to becoming the Fighting Sioux in the 1930s. Given the university's recent goals of expanding into a tier-one research university, it makes a lot of sense to go with rodentia like their counterparts in the Big 10 (gophers, badgers). North Dakota is also known as the Flickertail State.

--Roughriders. The safest bet. Nothing says North Dakota pride like references to Teddy Roosevelt. Would also still manage to piss off a few people, since Teddy Roosevelt probably killed a few Indians when he was out in the North Dakota Badlands. It largely boils down to whether or not the university is cool with proudly stating to people, "Yeah, you might think of condoms when you hear our name, but we're still going to beat you in hockey!"

--Pilots. UND's aviation research and development program is unanimously known as the best in the country. It's odd to pick a mascot based on the strength of an academic program, but eh... weirder things have happened.

--Green Meadowlarks. This one combines creativity with tradition and old-sounding college mascot nomenclature, but it's also kind of weird. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of North Dakota, and green and white are the school's primary colors. A problem with this is that I believe the Western Meadowlark is also the state bird of like 20 other states. It's still better than Banana Slugs.

--Keep using no mascot. The most likely option, I think. It's the last method that UND fans have to tell the NCAA to go **** itself for making the university ditch Fighting Sioux. There's a rule in place that they can't have a racial mascot, but there is no rule that says the school has to have a mascot, just a nice little memo that says, "It would be really nice if your school had a mascot so we could maintain the entire aesthetic of the neighborhood. Smiley face." It would also make the university stand out and be truly unique.

But that doesn't mean you can't play a role in creating collegiate athletic history! So get in there!

[RealSNR]

Get your friends to submit this! I found out the qualitative software that UND uses to get their submissions DOES keep track of IP addresses. It's not a big deal if you've submitted about 5000 entries for ermines, but it does mean it can't hurt to get more submissions from different people.

[alnorth]

Sent Ermines in from my work computer

[Rain Man]

Okay, suggestions are closed, and they've published the judging criteria:

http://und.edu/university-public-aff.../screening.cfm

Screening/Filters For Nickname Suggestions
as requested by the Nickname Committee on April 16, 2015

The following is the combined list of attributes and functional categories that will be used by the Nickname Committee to screen, filter and evaluate nicknames received through the suggestion process. In addition, a scoring system of assigning 1, 0 or -1 points will be used to evaluate nickname suggestions. This combined list was produced at the request of the Nickname Committee at the April 16, 2015 meeting.

1. Be unique, recognizable, inspiring and distinctly UND’s

2. Promote a sense of pride, strength, fierceness, and passion

3. Be representative of the state and region in a way that honors the traditions and heritage of the past but also looks to the future.

4. Be a unifying and rallying symbol

5. Ease of Depicting/Personifying Physical Mascot:

1 - Easy; mascot and fans can easily dress as nickname, e.g. Vikings, Lumberjacks

0 - Moderate; easy to depict graphically and create physical mascot, however fan participation more difficult, e.g. Eagles, Bears

-1 - Difficult; challenging to depict graphically and physically, e.g. Vandals, Tarheels

6. Cheer/Battle Cry Considerations:

1 - “Built-in” cheer, battle cry, e.g. Spartans, Wildcats

0 - More difficult, e.g. Cornhuskers, Lumberjacks

-1 - Difficult, e.g. Vandals, Tarheels

7. Meaning of Nickname:

1 - Obvious, e.g. Eagles, Grizzlies

0 - Moderate, e.g. Vandals, Cornhuskers

-1 - Requires explanation, e.g. Sooners, Hoosiers

8. Linguistic Considerations – Pronunciation:

1 - Easy, e.g. Lumberjacks, Thunderbirds

0 - Moderate, e.g. Hoyas, Zias

-1 - Difficult, e.g. Chanticleers, Gaels

9. Linguistic Considerations – Likelihood of name being abridged resulting in different name or name similar to existing name:

1 - Not likely or not possible, e.g. Bears, Eagles

0 - Possible, e.g. Thunderbirds to ‘Birds,” Bobcats to “Cats”

-1 - Likely, e.g. Catamounts to “Cats,” Chanticleers to “Chants”

[Rain Man]

The way I see the scoring for Ermines is:

1. Be unique, recognizable, inspiring and distinctly UND’s

Clearly a +1 and I don't see how it's not the top option.

2. Promote a sense of pride, strength, fierceness, and passion

Clearly a +1

3. Be representative of the state and region in a way that honors the traditions and heritage of the past but also looks to the future.

Certainly meets the first part. Looking forward is tough, but in an age of conservation and ecological awareness, Ermines works.

I think it's a +1, but a skeptic might give it a 0.

4. Be a unifying and rallying symbol

I'm not sure how you decide this without research, but I think its uniqueness works for this. I'd give it a +1.

5. Ease of Depicting/Personifying Physical Mascot:

1 - Easy; mascot and fans can easily dress as nickname, e.g. Vikings, Lumberjacks

0 - Moderate; easy to depict graphically and create physical mascot, however fan participation more difficult, e.g. Eagles, Bears

-1 - Difficult; challenging to depict graphically and physically, e.g. Vandals, Tarheels

Clearly a +1 and it's hard to imagine it not being the top choice based on other suggestions I've heard.

6. Cheer/Battle Cry Considerations:

1 - “Built-in” cheer, battle cry, e.g. Spartans, Wildcats

0 - More difficult, e.g. Cornhuskers, Lumberjacks

-1 - Difficult, e.g. Vandals, Tarheels

I have no idea how to judge this for any mascot. Why is a Vandal difficult while a Spartan isn't? If they're just looking for recognizable nouns, Ermines is clearly a +1.

7. Meaning of Nickname:

1 - Obvious, e.g. Eagles, Grizzlies

0 - Moderate, e.g. Vandals, Cornhuskers

-1 - Requires explanation, e.g. Sooners, Hoosiers

Should be a +1. Maybe some uneducated people would give it a 0, but come on. It's a mammal. We learn mammals in 5th grade.

8. Linguistic Considerations – Pronunciation:

1 - Easy, e.g. Lumberjacks, Thunderbirds

0 - Moderate, e.g. Hoyas, Zias

-1 - Difficult, e.g. Chanticleers, Gaels

Again, we learn mammals in 5th grade. This should be easy. But based on the examples I could see it being a 0 and a critical person might give it a -1.

9. Linguistic Considerations – Likelihood of name being abridged resulting in different name or name similar to existing name:

1 - Not likely or not possible, e.g. Bears, Eagles

0 - Possible, e.g. Thunderbirds to ‘Birds,” Bobcats to “Cats”

-1 - Likely, e.g. Catamounts to “Cats,” Chanticleers to “Chants”

It can't really be shortened, but I could see some heathen opponents using the "vermin" rhyme. This is probably the only weakness of the name, so this might be a -1. But any name is going to be co-opted by opponents. , Faiders, Donkey, Dolts ... it's going to happen to any name.



Thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment?

[RealSNR]

That has to be a shoo-in, mostly for its uniqueness and rallying symbol criteria. North Dakota has two nicknames-- The Sunflower State and the Flickertail State. The word on the street is nobody wants to go back to Flickertails, and Sunflowers are an even worse idea. The state bird is the Western Meadowlark, which is also the state bird for like, 20 different other states. It's hardly a unique and distinctly North Dakota name. Therefore, we have to get into the natural wildlife and qualities of North Dakota. I'm pretty sure they don't want to be the UND Geographic Continental Centers or the UND Large Gorilla Statues. So I guess we have to go to the wildlife. Ermines it is.

At the very least, we've submitted it enough times for the committee to give a hard consideration of it. You can't deny the numbers in this.

[The Franchise]

Let's - Go - Er- Mines. *clap* *clap* *clap clap clap*

Sounds good to me.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

-1 - Difficult; challenging to depict graphically and physically, e.g. Vandals, Tarheels

UI doesn't seem to have a problem with Vandals. Not sure what that's about?

[RealSNR]

It's been decades since I attended a UND sporting event, but there are two main Fighting Sioux chants that I recall, and neither of them were really that original or brilliant:

1. At hockey games, they did a call and response: "SIOUX YEAH YEAH!" followed by the large crowd chant: "YEAH SIOUX SIOUX." That will have to go away permanently with a new two-syllable mascot, but I welcome that change.

2. At football games (possibly a ripoff from the Chiefs) the stadium announcer would say, "Alright fans, let's make some noise, because that's a Fighting Siooooux..." and the crowd would shout back "FIRST DOWN!" This one we can still keep. "Alright fans, let's make some noise, because that's an Ermiiiiiines..." "FIRST DOWN!" sounds just fine.

We just need something new for the hockey games and we're good to go.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Frosty

UI doesn't seem to have a problem with Vandals. Not sure what that's about?

Without having the word "Vandal" prominently displayed on or under the mascot, how do you depict a vandal?

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Without having the word "Vandal" prominently displayed on or under the mascot, how do you depict a vandal?

The Vandals were a Germanic tribe that sacked Rome. They are portrayed kind of like Vikings, so you can use that imagery.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Frosty

The Vandals were a Germanic tribe that sacked Rome. They are portrayed kind of like Vikings, so you can use that imagery.

Nope, sorry, doesn't work.

Go Vikings! Go.... Raiders? Go.... hairy guys with funny hats?

You were confused why Vandals was -1 on that criteria. This is why. You get a bonus point if everyone knows what your mascot is just by looking at it, without being told. You get a minus point if it is very, very unlikely that someone would be able to tell what your mascot is without being told.

[Aries Walker]

I have to say it's rather sad how the choosing of a mascot seems to have become so much of an exercise in marketing. It feels like before long every team will be winnowed down to lowest-common-denominator names like the Eagles or the Bears.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Aries Walker

I have to say it's rather sad how the choosing of a mascot seems to have become so much of an exercise in marketing. It feels like before long every team will be winnowed down to lowest-common-denominator names like the Eagles or the Bears.

Yeah, I agree about the dumbing down. One of the risks of allowing a lot of public input is that most of the public is not very creative. Then you add to that the concern of the leaders to not be too "out there" and you end up with generic stuff.

On that note, I'm facing a little blowback on the Sioux Sports site. A small minority of posters over there can't wrap their brains around something that's not 'business as usual'. I'm trying to educate them. But it's attitudes like that that could make UND end up with something boring.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Aries Walker

I have to say it's rather sad how the choosing of a mascot seems to have become so much of an exercise in marketing. It feels like before long every team will be winnowed down to lowest-common-denominator names like the Eagles or the Bears.

Fortunately, it works out for us in this case. I can think of few animals more marketable than the cute, lovable, but fierce ermine.

Just think, they could have their own bin in the toy shop filled with beady eyed huggable fluffy white weasels with the UND logo on its chest, can you just imagine how many kids could be brainwashed into wanting to go to that school in the frozen north?

[Rain Man]

Okay, people, we have completed the first leg of our journey. The venerable Ermine has made the first cut.

http://und.edu/nickname/consideration-list.pdf

There are a bunch of names that passed the first test, but here are the ones that were suggested 10 or more times, and constitute our most likely competitors. I think we stack up really well.

Aeros
Aviators
Badlanders
Berserkers
Big Green
Blackhawks
Blizzard
Bombers
Cavalry
Dakota
Dakotans
Dragons
Drillers
Ermines
Explorers
Fighting Dakotans
Fighting Farmers
Fighting Warriors
Fire
Flame
Flames
Flickertails
Flood
Force
Frackers
Frost Giants
Green Machine
Homesteaders
Hunters
Kodiaks
Legends
Mallards
Meadowlarks
Nighthawks
Nodaks
Nordics
Norse
North Dakota
North Stars
Northern Lights
Outlaws
Paratas
Pilots
Polar Bears
Predators
Pride
Pronghorns
Raptors
Rattlers
Reapers
Roughnecks
Settlers
Snowy Owls
Sodbusters
Spirit
Stallions
Stars
Storm
Sundogs
Thrashers
Tomahawks
Trailblazers
Trappers
Tsunami
Tundra
Warriors
Warriors of the North
Wind
Yeti