Beating Harvard matters, not the mascot
By Kenan Yount
Published on Friday, January 12, 2007
To the Editor:
During my freshman year, there was also a big debate on campus as to whether Dartmouth should return to the Dartmouth Indian or change the Big Green to the Dartmoose. I have always thought that both were ridiculous options.
To be blunt, I have never been personally offended by the Indian mascot nor do I particularly sympathize with those who are offended by it. However, given the outcry that the debate over the Indian produced my freshman year and the Solidarity Against Hatred rally that resulted from the debate this fall, I sincerely question the sanity of anyone who proposes that we return to the Dartmouth Indian. It's obvious that a substantial portion of the campus detests the mascot, and quite frankly, as an athlete I cared more about my peers rallying 100 percent behind Dartmouth's sports teams and players than sparking unnecessary anger by wearing a uniform with a mascot that so profoundly divided the campus.
Secondly, changing to the Dartmoose is a horrible idea. Moose are neither athletic nor inspiring, and the only thing that Dartmouth students share in common with them is that both like to jump out into the middle the road when cars are coming.
As a former two-year varsity captain, I never had much of a problem playing for the Dartmouth Big Green or an "amorphous green blob" as some people call it. In fact, all I really cared about was representing Dartmouth well and beating the crap out of Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. After all, that's what really matters.