OC Mascot: Rangers or Bears?

You’re going to be reading more about this in our paper this week. Some of you are probably aware that students at Olympic College voted a year ago to change the name of the mascot at the college. It’s been Rangers for 62 years, but the Assocaited Students of Olympic College (ASOC) voted to change the name to the Bears (originally it was going to be Black Bears).
A total of 262 students and faculty voted. It doesn’t matter that most of those students are probably no longer attending classes at OC. It doesn’t matter that its athletics teams will have to trash all of its uniforms with Rangers on it and purchase new ones.
It doesn’t matter that 62 years of tradition will be tossed aside.
Why?
It has something to do with creating a new logo. Maybe they want to sell new t-shirts or sweatshirts?

Personally, I think it’s a stupid idea. So does Bob Summers.Summers, who competed in track and field at the college from 1960-62, stopped by the office about 10 days ago. He’s collected over 300 signatures for a petition that he plans to present to the OC Board of Trustees in March.
Sommers’ one-man protest seems to be picking up steam. The ASOC is going to hold a public forum for students, faculty and community members to address the issue of the new mascot on Feb. 11 at Bremer Student Center. The meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. You can also e-mail opinions to OCMascot@hotmail.com.
When Olympic College was establed in 1946, it offered a popular foresty progam. Hence, the nickname Rangers. When I attended the school in the early 1970s, they had a mascot that dressed like a logger, carrying an axe. His name was Joe Spivens. As far as mascots go, it was actually pretty cool.
Is this a non-issue, or does tradition matter? What do you think? Would a new mascot generate more spirit and pride for Olympic College?