Starting in early 1994, I worked for my first-ever newspaper, The Northern Student, the student newspaper at Bemidji State University, where I attended and received my bachelor's degree in mass communication. Over three years, I would be a staff writer, news editor, managing editor and editor. I wrote everything from news stories to feature stories to sports stories to opinion pieces. It was the greatest training ground a journalist could ever have, and I am grateful to the many talented people I worked alongside in my years at The NS.
Oct. 5, 1994
By Devlyn Brooks
News Editor
The Beaver might be living out its last days as the BSU mascot.
In the upcoming Student Senate elections, students will be voting on a referendum asking students if their Senate should work toward changing the mascot to a Snow Shark.
According to Brett McDowell, an activist for the mascot change, the movement to change the university's mascot was a direct result of a column written by "The Northern Student's" Darrell Hardy. McDowell said that, after reading the column, a few total strangers who didn't even know each other, all mentioned to Hardy that the mascot should be changed to the Snow Shark. A legend was born.
After conducting an informal, unscientific survey on his own and finding many positive reactions, Hardy asked fellow Student Senator Ryan Brovold to help spearhead The Snow Shark Movement.
Last spring, Brovold and Hardy printed up and sold T-shirts promoting the Snow Shark mascot. Over a two-week period, they also collected nearly 300 student signatures on petitions stating the same. Next, they co-authored a bill which resolved that the Senate "(recommend) to the BSU student senate president and cabinet that the BSU mascot be changed from the Beaver to the Snow Shark," and provided the petitions as evidence that BSU students were in favor of the new mascot. The bill passed by a 14-to-1 vote, recalled McDowell.
McDowell said that after the bill was passed the movement faded away since it was the end of the school year.
This year, it was suggested to add a referendum to the Senate election ballot concerning the mascot change. It was also hoped the referendum would attract more voters. Ryan Bronson, chair of the Legislative Affairs Committee, said his committee authored the referendum.
But there were varied reactions. Student Senate President Paul Hetland said he had mixed thoughts.
"I like it because it's getting students enthusiastic. I think it's neat to see how so many students last year got so invigorated by an issue from Senate," he said. But Hetland also wants to be careful with this referendum.
"Regardless of the outcome, I think (Senate) needs to sit back and say, 'Okay, were we having a little bit of fun there? Did (Senate) have its head up in the clouds? Do the students at BSU really want us to change our mascot?"
The leading proponents for the change contend that they are serious and this is not a joke. Brovold, who is co-founder of the movement and president of the newly-formed Friends of the Snow Shark, said he was happy that Senate made a referendum out of the issue.
"College is about keeping open minds and experiencing new ideas. If it turns out that the Snow Shark is not a good idea, we can re-evaluate it," Brovold said.
Brovold also believes there are two issues that need to be debated. First, due to the sexual connotation in the word "beavers," Friends of the Snow Shark think the Beaver must be replaced. Further, they contend that the Beaver mascot is a source of embarrassment, not a source of pride.
"The mascot of the Beaver is almost approaching intolerability," said Brovold. "We don't think it is right that a university like Bemidji State should be represented by something that is demeaning to some people."
After students vote on the referendum, Brovold said another issue must be addressed: What come next?
Hetland contends, however, if election results should show students in favor of the change, then it must be asked whether they were simply "voting for the lesser of two evils." If, on the other hand "students overwhelmingly say, 'No!' then we should get it off the books and reverse that stance," Hetland said.
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