California State University, Long Beach has announced the shark as the new mascot for the university.
A 53% student-led vote chose "sharks" over "stingrays" and even considered not having a mascot at all.
The idea of having a shark as their mascot is connected to the campus' Shark Lab and its proximity to the beach.
The university's previous mascot was "Prospector Pete," but was retired in spring 2018. Although the university is adopting this new mascot, many students, faculty and supporters of the campus still refer to it with the nickname "49er," in reference to the university's founding year.
"We have benefited from a thoughtful, thorough, and inclusive process by our students," University President Jane Close Conoley said. "I am grateful to all the university's stakeholders for their participation."
Now that the new mascot has been chosen, a year-long process begins to determine the visual details of the mascot, its personality, its characteristics, the design of mascot uniforms and illustrations, as well as any associated wordmarks.
The university's intercollegiate athletics program will continue to use "Beach Athletics" during the coming planning year, and its teams will also continue to use the prefix "Beach," as in, "Beach Men's Volleyball."
