Cabot Phillips, Media Director - Campus Reform
In recent years, a growing number of universities have faced pressure to change their mascots due to concerns over cultural appropriation and student sensitivity.
Whether it’s the state of Maine banning Native American mascots or students at George Washington calling for an end to the ‘Colonials’ mascot, there seems to be a new mascot facing scrutiny every week. But what about schools with mascots named after inanimate objects or weather occurrences? Surely, no one would support banning one of those mascots.
To find out, Campus Reform's Cabot Phillips headed to the University of Miami, home of the Hurricanes.
Armed with a petition and letter to the administration citing my concern over students potentially being offended by the “Hurricane” name, Phillip began asking students for their support, quickly realizing there would be plenty of it.
The moment he told students there was a petition they could sign to help students who were offended, they jumped at the opportunity.
“F*** yeah!” one student said, enthusiastically, while another said, “it’s not a huge deal, but it’s something, and it’ll make a difference.”
“There’s gonna be people who have PTSD and this could f*** them up,” one student said.
Another thanked Phillips for the concern, saying “I totally get this. I think it’s super respectful,” while another said “Awesome! Good for you.”
Was there anyone who decided against signing the petition? Watch the full video above.