SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Making a Mascot’ The Future of IVC

A unanimous vote by the Imperial Valley Board of Trustees puts the future of IVC's mascot in the hands of the public - News 11's Brandon Mejia reports

IMPERIAL VALLEY, Calif. (KYMA) - A time frame has not been set for when Imperial Valley College will have its new mascot but a student-run task force is working to determine the next steps in choosing the college's identity.

The news comes after the Imperial Valley Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rid the ''Arab" mascot from the college permanently in March.

But before that decision, it was up to the Imperial Valley College's Mascot Taskforce to gather public opinion.

"Given the weight of the decision the task force is taking its time to make sure the broad participation is captured," said IVC Mascot Taskforce member Elizabeth Espinoza. " This has been an ongoing campus discussion among various ASG leadership over the last 20 years."

During their March 10 forum, the public would be able to express their feelings towards a potential doing away of the mascot.

"I put a lot of pride into being a student at IVC when I was there," said Troy Loaiza, IVC alumni. "Our current mascot we have at IVC has been represented very well Since it has been placed up. There seems to be nothing wrong with it."

But it was met with opposition.

"Unfortunately the name in its self I don't think the school will evolve athletically and mascot-wise unless the name changes," said former IVC Football Athlete Tyler Lawrence.

Taking the input from the public along with the surveys, the IVC Mascot Taskforce presented it to the board.

"It was all unanimous support throughout all of the governance committees as well as the board of trustees," said Espinoza.

While the Arab is no longer the school's identity, the task force wants to look to the students, alumni, and community for what it could be in the future.  

"The more input we have. The more we can work with and ensure we can get our new identity out there," Espinoza said. "It could be you who chooses what the school becomes."

The timeline still remains unclear on when the next one will be chosen but Espinosa is hopeful a new mascot is picked by 2022 and that the task force will start gathering community input in the near future.