Spring 2024
WHEREAS, Some college mascots and monikers state-wide have ridiculed and mocked indigenous culture and history, and indigenous students are ostracized and experience feelings of isolation at their colleges due to the symbolism and ignorance associated with said mascots and monikers; and the improvement of California community college mascots and monikers with cultural inclusivity and humanity in mind would promote a more inclusive, equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment;
WHEREAS, Mascots and monikers accurately representing higher education institutions will promote cultural awareness and inclusion and will align with the recent changes in the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it has given new names to five places that previously included a racist term for a Native American woman;
WHEREAS, Ornithologists have long grappled with historical and contemporary practices that contribute to the exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, including how birds are named; for example, in 2020, the American Ornithological Society renamed a small prairie songbird found on the Great Plains to “Thick-billed Longspur”, the bird’s original name—honoring John P. McCown, an amateur naturalist who later became a general in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War—was perceived as a painful link to slavery and racism; and
WHEREAS, By adopting culturally conscious mascots and monikers students can better connect and engage with their colleges enhancing student retention, success, and ultimately completion/transfer- especially for indigenous students who are disproportionately underrepresented in higher education institutions; and the adoption of mascots and monikers representative of present students, not historically racist symbols, would result in culturally inclusive campuses that would positively impact student success; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges in collaboration with Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage college administrators to develop, with Board of Trustees a specific plan of implementation that demonstrates its commitment to creating equitable spaces in higher education by removing racist monikers and mascots on college campuses.
WHEREAS, Mascots and monikers accurately representing higher education institutions will promote cultural awareness and inclusion and will align with the recent changes in the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it has given new names to five places that previously included a racist term for a Native American woman;
WHEREAS, Ornithologists have long grappled with historical and contemporary practices that contribute to the exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, including how birds are named; for example, in 2020, the American Ornithological Society renamed a small prairie songbird found on the Great Plains to “Thick-billed Longspur”, the bird’s original name—honoring John P. McCown, an amateur naturalist who later became a general in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War—was perceived as a painful link to slavery and racism; and
WHEREAS, By adopting culturally conscious mascots and monikers students can better connect and engage with their colleges enhancing student retention, success, and ultimately completion/transfer- especially for indigenous students who are disproportionately underrepresented in higher education institutions; and the adoption of mascots and monikers representative of present students, not historically racist symbols, would result in culturally inclusive campuses that would positively impact student success; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges in collaboration with Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage college administrators to develop, with Board of Trustees a specific plan of implementation that demonstrates its commitment to creating equitable spaces in higher education by removing racist monikers and mascots on college campuses.