2/6/19 at 6:42 p.m. | A resolution passed Wednesday evening by Cal State Long Beach’s Associated Students will allow students to submit ideas and drawings for a new mascot, according to ASI. “I am grateful to all the university’s stakeholders for their participation.”. It’s official -- Long Beach State’s new mascot will be the shark! Towering over the courtyard at California State University, Long Beach, is the barrel-chested statue of Prospector Pete, the epitome of the rugged 49ers who came to the state … Besides sharks, those semifinalists were stingrays, giraffes, pelicans, the mythical beast kraken and “Go Beach,” essentially a no-mascot vote. ‘Cal State Long Beach’s mascot Prospector Pete will, soon, be no more.’ A Prospector Pete statue at California State University, Long Beach, Calif., Sept. 20, 2017. or redistributed. The Long Beach State Beach, previously known as the 49ers, are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach.Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. But students have come to see the mascot not as a tribute to their founder or to California history, but rather as a representation of the violence caused to Native Americans and others during California’s Gold Rush era. The ocean predator also came in first in an online community poll last month. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! After a months-long process of receiving mascot idea submissions, polling the community and putting it to a student vote, Cal State Long Beach has a new mascot: sharks. “The entire process we’ve gone through, to end up with the sharks, has been a collaborate and well-thought-out process.”. Sharks garnered 53% student support after the three-day vote, held Monday to Wednesday, May 6 to May 8. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The unveiling of “Elbee,” a gray colored shark donning the signature LB emblem on its chest, took place on social media on Monday, August 17, according to a press release from CSULB. On Thursday Cal State Long Beach announced that the controversial mascot Prospector Pete would be retired. In 1972, the then California State College at Hayward became California State University, Hayward. Much like people not changing their minds about aliens, Long Beach State athletics fans aren’t changing their minds about the “49ers” situation because Cal State Long Beach changed its mascot to a shark. The sharks will become Cal State Long Beach’s new mascot, the university announced Friday, May 10. “Go Beach” received 25% and stingrays garnered 22%, Jara said. The university ditched its "Prospector Pete" character in September after criticism that it was offensive to indigenous people. Jael Sierra, Campus Reform, 9/5/17 Students at California State University-Long Beach recently protested the “Prospector Pete” statue on campus, saying it serves as a monument to historical genocide. April 24, 2019 9:33 AM Cal State Long Beach is asking the public to help select a new mascot for the university, a move that comes months after the school decided to send its former mascot … An artist rendering of the Cal State Long Beach “sharks” entree from February. Market data provided by Factset. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Sharks will be Cal State Long Beach’s new…, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Best of 2020: Fried chicken takeout in Long Beach, Sharks will be Cal State Long Beach’s new mascot, university says, Coronavirus: L.A. County reported 269 fewer hospitalizations, 9,927 new cases and 88 new deaths as of Jan. 18, Gerald Locklin, CSULB teacher, writer, poet, dies at 79, Leadership Long Beach leads virtual MLK Day of celebration, service, Long Beach Airport offers rapid COVID-19 testing for passengers, said the new mascot shouldn’t impact other nicknames. The school will also move a statue of … Title IX. California State University Long Beach has finally unveiled its new mascot: “Elbee” the Shark. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In a statement, university president Jane Close Conoley argued that Cal State Long Beach can no longer use a mascot like “Prospector Pete” given its new emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Cal State Long Beach's New Mascot: A Nonbinary Shark That Uses Plural Pronouns | The College Fix (Vol. - ADVERTISEMENT - CSULB’s president Jane Close Conoley ratified the results of the student’s vote on Friday, according to a release from the university. After a months-long process to replace Prospector Pete, sharks … CSULB unveils new shark mascot. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. California State University Office of the Chancellor. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB, Long Beach State, Cal State Long Beach, LBSU, or The Beach) is a public university in Long Beach, California.The 322-acre campus is the third largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities in the state of California by enrollment, its student body numbering 39,359 for the fall 2020 semester. The baseball team, for example, goes by the Dirtbags. According to the Daily Forty-Niner, the shark’s name is a phonetic form of “LB” (for “Long Beach”), and it’ll wear the number 49 to maintain a sense of tradition. Six months after university leadership retired its controversial Prospector Pete mascot, California State University, Long Beach — also known as Long Beach State — announced the selection of “Sharks” as the new school mascot. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. A selection committee narrowed those submissions down to six options for a community poll in April. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. After a semester-long search process comprising of a submission period, a community poll, and a student referendum, President Conoley officially confirmed the students’ selection of the “sharks” as the new mascot. EMAILS: CAL STATE ACTIVISTS TARGET CONSERVATIVE STUDENT GROUP, SAY THEY'RE 'NOT WELCOME', This Sept. 20, 2017 photo shows the "Prospector Pete" statue at California State University, Long Beach, Calif. The decision came about six months after the university’s leadership removed Prospector Pete, following years of criticism that he was offensive to indigenous peoples. California State University at Long Beach has finally “retired” its long-time mascot, “Prospector Pete,” due to “some saying” it represents racism and genocide against Native Americans. When it comes to Long Beach State merch, we have what every 49ers fan is looking for. “We have benefited from a thoughtful, thorough, and inclusive process by our students,” Conoley said in a statement. California State University, Long Beach has announced the shark as the new mascot for the university. The athletics program, which ditched Prospector Pete as a mascot a few years ago, will continue to use “Beach Athletics” for the coming year, according to Friday’s statement. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. It’s just the latest rebranding attempt on campus after retiring its Prospector Pete 49ers mascot more than a year ago. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. All rights reserved. In 1977, the student-ran yearbook began once again, now called Horizons instead of Elan. The students’ choice was apt, the university statement said, because of the university’s renowned Shark Lab — often featured in the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” — and the campus’ proximity to the beach. The final decision will rest with President Jane Close Conoley. CSULB is a large, urban, comprehensive university in the 23-campus California State University system. Legal Statement. Maps and Directions. CSULB President Jane Close Conoley ratified the … Fox News Flash top headlines for April 26 are here. Several campus organizations continue to use the term, however, including the ’49er Foundation and the Daily 49er, the campus newspaper. Accessibility. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Last year, the university moved the statue of the mascot away from a prominent place on campus due to the outcry. In 1942, San Jose State announced the Spartans as the official mascot (now called Sammy the Spartan), making it the first CSU campus to adopt an official mascot. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ), CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MOVES 'PROSPECTOR PETE' STATUE FROM PLAZA. Men, women or kids - no matter the Long Beach State fan, we have the gear. A statement on the university website said the Gold Rush was "a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence and threats of genocide." The Pioneer (and any evidence of a mascot at all) disappears from the historical record for twelve years. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Long Beach), Participants in an online poll in search of Cal State Long Beach’s next mascot chose shark as its top choice. If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. California State University's campus in Long Beach is ditching its longtime mascot amid accusations of racism and officially moving to pick either a new symbol or have no mascot at all. After graduating, she worked as an editor for a couple of weekly newspapers and was a contributing writer for the Orange County Register. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Cal State Long Beach is soliciting votes for its new mascot, with six candidates for the spot of the ousted Prospector Pete. Lukas Mikelionis is a reporter for FoxNews.com, (Thomas R. Cordova/The Orange County Register via AP), Fox News Flash top headlines for April 26, Today's mortgage rates stay below 3% for 14 consecutive week | January 15, 2021, Today's mortgage refinance rates crawl upward | January 15, 2021, Here’s how much debt the average American has — and how to pay it off. Students are turning their backs on California State University-Long Beach’s (CSULB) mascot, Prospector Pete, calling the statue an “icon of genocide.” Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com. California State University Long Beach has finally unveiled its new mascot: “Elbee” the Shark. The university will begin a year-long development process to determine the visual look of the mascot, its personality characteristics, and the design of its uniforms and illustrations. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Genesis Jara, president of Associated Students, Inc., told the Mercury News of San Jose that the options for students to vote on were selected from hundreds of ideas submitted by students. Nearly half of the participants in the poll were alumni. The university is now asking students to vote on a new mascot, with choices including Pelicans, Sharks, Stingrays, Giraffes, Kraken (a sea monster from Scandanavian folklore), or even picking the option called “the Beach” that is sort of a no-mascot option. (Photo courtesy of Cal State Long Beach), Selecting the sharks as a mascot, its entry description read, would make the university the only Division 1 school with the “king of the sea.” Sharks are also fearless and never stop swimming — representative, the entry continued, “of our students in their tireless pursuit to make a difference in the world.”. 7) California State University Long Beach unveiled its new mascot… CSULB students protest their own mascot . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. (Whether the NFL's San Francisco 49ers should be worried about their nickname is unknown at this point. Instead of spreading school spirit a mascot has caused some controversy on a local college campus. Nearly 13,000 participated in the community poll, which was open to residents, alumni, faculty and anyone else who wanted a stake in the choice. “I’m super excited,” she added. The story, which was first reported on by The College Fix, details the pushback against the school’s mascot, which some have alleged has ties to American genocide against Native Americans.. Market data provided by Factset. After a months-long process to replace Prospector Pete, sharks came out on top in a student vote earlier this week. Cal State Long Beach athletics made a subtle shift away from the image in 2014 in favor of the nickname “Beach Athletics.” However, campus student government pushed for a more substantial change … May 12, 2019 - 18:51 PM. Emily Rasmussen is an alumna of the Cal State Long Beach Journalism Department. A university steering committee, with stakeholders appointed by Conoley, will lead that process. The term — and Prospector Pete — derive from the university’s founding year, 1949; but it also eventually became a reference to California’s Gold Rush Era, during which prospectors often committed atrocities against indigenous peoples. 401 Golden Shore Long Beach CA 90802 (562) 951-4000. Cal State Long Beach announced Pete’s official demise Thursday. Legal Statement. All rights reserved. While Prospector Pete hasn’t been the mascot since last year, the term “49er” will remain an informal nickname for anyone affiliated with the university. A new mascot is yet to be determined, but the Cal State Long Beach website says input is welcome during the Imagine Beach 2030 event on Nov. 14 … In February, Michele Cesca, vice president of university relations and development, said the new mascot shouldn’t impact other nicknames. The university announced the finalists April 10. More than 10,000 students voted online this week, Jara said, with sharks winning by a wide margin. President Jane Close Conoley, the ultimate arbiter of the next mascot, ratified the student selection Friday, according to the announcement. The university began accepting submissions for mascots in February, ultimately receiving hundreds of ideas. Cal State Long Beach unveiled its new shark mascot via social media today, more than a year after the conclusion of a student-initiated process that first, widely solicited ideas for a new mascot, sent semifinalist concepts to a broad community vote, and finally offered up three finalists for a student referendum. With 49ers apparel from our store, you can look great while supporting Long Beach State basketball, baseball and more. Long Beach State Selects Sharks As New Mascot. Genesis Jara, president of Associated Students, Inc., said she’s happy the campus will “finally have something that represents us and is inclusive. (Thomas R. Cordova/The Orange County Register via AP). CSU has a long history of fostering and building unity among the campus community through powerful symbols. The supposedly offensive mascot was born when the campus opened in the 1940s, with founding President Pete Peterson’s comment that he “struck the gold of education” by creating it, according to the Los Angeles Times. The sharks will become Cal State Long Beach’s new mascot, the university announced Friday, May 10. Part of his elimination will involve moving a 1967 bronze statue of Prospector Pete — also known as the Forty-Niner Man and modeled after a former student — from the central plaza on campus to an alumni area. Cal State Long Beach is premiering its new shark mascot, “Elbee,” ahead of the Fall 2020 semester. A 53% student-led vote chose "sharks" over … Sharks, stingrays and “Go Beach” made the final round, open only to students. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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