Pioneers Mascot Survey: Your Input Requested by Feb. 7

The Pioneers mascot name was adopted almost 80 years ago, in the early 1940s, when Lewis & Clark moved to its current location on Palatine Hill. The question of whether the Pioneer mascot represents the values of our community has come up with regularity in recent years. The mascot and our values as a community are topics that deserve thoughtful attention and engagement.

Last spring, President Robin Holmes-Sullivan tasked a steering committee, made up of a cross-section of L&C community members, with leading the campus in a thorough engagement process on this topic. For more background information, please click here.

Throughout fall 2023, students, staff, faculty, and alumni had the opportunity to participate in Community Dialogues, reflecting on the Pioneer mascot.

We Need Your Input

The steering committee is now collecting feedback from you through a survey. On January 17, all current students, staff, faculty, and alumni will receive an email with a link to the survey. The survey is expected to take 10–15 minutes to complete.

Your responses to this brief, confidential survey will be used by the steering committee to inform the recommendations to the president. Please note that, while the survey response data will inform the steering committee’s work, it is not intended to constitute a referendum or vote on the issue.

The survey will close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. For technical assistance with this survey, please email: mascot@lclark.edu.

The committee will present an informed recommendation to President Holmes-Sullivan in spring 2024.