Albino Squirrel Mascot?

SilverEagle · October 20, 2019

16 hours ago, Udomann said:

It's something uniquely UNT. I dig it. Anything to add some quirk to our crazy

If anyone thinks that anyone other than a socially awkward NT student who has too much time on his/her hands regards this as cool, then you are a fool. Since I was in High School in the late 60's North Texas has had a reputation as (with apologies to the Christmas Rudolph cartoon) the Island of socially misfit students. Before I enrolled at NT someone asked me where I was going. And when I said NT, they said "so, your going to school with all those weirdos?" And something like trotting out someone in a Albino Squirrel costume during a football game only confirms that negative image.

Let me clue-in all the "quirky people" out there about the reality of "perception". I'm as fond of whimsy as anyone, but I know that the doers of the world tend to gravitate to schools and organizations etc that take themselves seriously. In High School these people were generally involved in organizations that promoted school spirit, did things for the community, and got involved in things like the student counsel etc. These are the people that when they graduate from from College they go out and start their own businesses and/or go up the ladder in big companies. They tend to come back to their Alma Mater and DONATE and start scholarships etc. They don't gravitate to schools that allow school spirit/traditions to be trivialized by quirk and whimsy. And serious athletes don't either. They tend to choose other schools over us.....sometimes even smaller schools in smaller classifications.

SO LOSE THE DAMN SQUIRREL COSTUME........ESPECIALLY AT ALL OF OUR SPORTING EVENTS.

If you have some fond memories of an albino squirrel (which has already been shown as NOT being unique to North Texas) that you spotted whilst studying for an important exam that you passed, then let the costumed misfit make an appearance in the Library or where ever students gather to study.

My guess is that the serious students will chase him/her away.

Mean Green Matt · October 20, 2019

If this is just a silly bit to be trotted out every once in a while, so be it. It was kind of funny. I hope the albino squirre isn’t a mascot used every game though.

Quoner · October 20, 2019

11 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

It makes a mockery to all of us who’ve graduated from here.

This thread was about the albino squirrel but you seem to be describing gomeangreen.com?

Coffee and TV · October 20, 2019

The climate is toasting species out of existence, plastic islands are forming in the pacific, and the world is in conflict over resources, but I'm losing my shit over a guy in a white squirrel costume at a football game. That's healthy living folks.

UNTLifer · October 20, 2019

3 hours ago, Coffee and TV said:

Well this post here makes me completely in favor of it then.

Thanks for being honest. Not that I agree with basically flipping the bird to those that came before you but also to the traditions of our fine university. That’s kind of expected from certain generations.

Udomann · October 20, 2019

12 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Stupid ass millennial doesn’t understand that many of us pay for this place to exist in its current form. I’m just telling you, you are close to losing yet another one here...

A) Guess again

B) Things change. They need to be allowed to change, and not every change is going to be a winner, but if it's managed well (and I think it has been so far, except Reffett still being here), it can be very productive.

My degree's have given me a lot of success, and I'm proud to point to our quirky school. Wear it as a badge of pride, or wear it as a stigma, but it's not going anywhere no matter how much we complain on a message board

CaribbeanGreen · October 20, 2019

Y'all know Millennials are literally about to start turning 40, right?? And that every generation has good people, shitty people, and everything in between, right? And that none of this has anything to do with a kid in a costume at a late october mid major college football game who has no desire to hurt any of you, right?

Oh, and @Green P1 - Club Ramsgate for life! That on site racquetball court was ahead of its time, man.

#GMG

greenminer · October 20, 2019

28 minutes ago, Coffee and TV said:

The climate is toasting species out of existence, plastic islands are forming in the pacific, and the world is in conflict over resources, but I'm losing my shit over a guy in a white squirrel costume at a football game. That's healthy living folks.

There are things that have survival value (clean air and water, education, jobs that pay the bills, etc), then there are things that give survival some value (sports, literature, music, traditions).

Both are necessary.

Not sure where the answer to this thread lies. I think a lot of things in this world are taken too seriously. I also think one needs to respect that some people hold things near and ear to them, even if it’s not in agreement with yourself.

Good luck.

Coffee and TV · October 20, 2019

28 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

The climate is toasting species. You believe this? Then again, these wonderful scientists that claimed some species were extinct are having a hard time explaining species reappearing.

Theb again, you dragging that stupidity into this thread really explains a lot.

Cry about it, snowflake.

greenminer · October 20, 2019

I’m inclined to agree with @emmitt01

Being a liberal school with tons of education grads lends itself to a lower endowment.

Being a Denton college lends itself to tons of people that....embrace stuff like this.

can I co-exist with both sides? Laugh at it and also hope that it dies a quick, ugly death and never returns?

Coffee and TV · October 20, 2019

1 minute ago, greenminer said:

There are things that have survival value (clean air and water, education, jobs that pay the bills, etc), then there are things that give survival some value (sports, literature, music, traditions).

Both are necessary.

Not sure where the answer to this thread lies. I think a lot of things in this world are taken too seriously. I also think one needs to respect that some people hold things near and ear to them, even if it’s not in agreement with yourself.

Good luck.

That's a completely fair point, people are going to have passions about certain things that in long run, don't really matter a whole lot. I'm here because I am very happy when our Mean Green do well and while I'm not passionate about the traditions (bonfire, clock tower, scappy, etc), I do see where they hold a valuable place in the University and the athletics program. I do love college football more than NFL for that very reason: people forked over a lot of money to get their degrees from institutions at a very critical time in their young adulthood. I love the bands and revelry and the gameday traditions that each school has.

But I just honestly can't relate to being so upset and offended over the student body choosing to make a white squirrel a secondary mascot. So what if it was done before at another campus, do you see people at Alabama complaining that Nick Saban won a title at LSU first? Do you guys really think we were the first University to call ourselves the Eagles!?!? Should we ditch Scrappy because Eastern Michigan did it first?

I am intentionally stirring people up in this thread, but if you're really that butthurt over a guy in a squirrel costume (who was just there to greet kids and entertain people) then you kinda deserve to be mocked IMO.

Mean Green Matt · October 20, 2019

42 minutes ago, Coffee and TV said:

The climate is toasting species out of existence, plastic islands are forming in the pacific, and the world is in conflict over resources, but I'm losing my shit over a guy in a white squirrel costume at a football game. That's healthy living folks.

Why do you assume it was a guy in the squirrel costume?

Mad Hatter · October 20, 2019

Albino Squirrel shows up and UNT wins a close one against MTSU. Maybe there is something to it being lucky.

When the Texas Rangers run out the Dot races and the folks come out as Red, Blue, and Green it doesn’t mean the Rangers are going to embrace the Dots as mascots. They serve their purpose, but we see them at EVERY Rangers game.
As long as the University isn’t referring to itself as the Albino Squirrels, I don’t have an issue with it.
We’re still the Mean Green and the Eagles.

Having the Talons fire a cannon at the game doesn’t make Boomer any part of our mascot.

Yes it’s stupid. Yes it’s funny. Kids will still want to get their picture taken with Scrappy.

And apparently it really is lucky!

Edited October 20, 2019 by Mad Hatter