Since the College dropped the Indian symbol in the 1970s, the Dartmouth community has been in need of a replacement mascot. Our current "Big Green" rallying cry for Dartmouth sports teams leaves students uninspired.
Students feel silly when explaining the mascot to friends elsewhere. Other schools' teams -- notably the Harvard Crimson and the Cornell Big Red -- also have teams named for colors, but this does not mean Dartmouth cannot come up with something more exciting than "Go Big Green!"
The effort now begun by a small group of students to come up with a viable, more stirring symbol needs to be comprehensive if it is to be effective. Popular approval is more important than administrative sanction. For this reason, all members of the Dartmouth community, which stretches far beyond Hanover's town limits, should be sure to take the debate seriously and let their voices be heard. After all, we do not want to end up yelling, "Yay squirrels!" at Memorial Field in years to come.
Dartmouth's "Big Green" has failed to provide College community members with a strong, unifying mascot. While a return to the Indian symbol should not be sanctioned, it is time for the College to move forward from its current lame duck mascot to something more thrilling.
