A student addressed The Student Government Association (SGA) at UT Tyler Wednesday and asked for its help to keep Swoop and Patriots as mascot and student name for the University.
In her address, Senior Mariah Maxfield read to the assembly a letter she wrote, but has not yet delivered to University President Michael Tidwell.
In the letter, Maxfield, a UT Tyler cheerleader, argues that the link between Swoop and the name Patriots is not confusing, contrary to some claims, but “clever, unique and brilliant.”
Maxfield explained, “Swoop, being an eagle, symbolizes numerous, abstract ideas such as freedom and power. However, to us students of UT Tyler, Swoop stands for so much more.”
“Swoop is unique, charismatic, and traditional. These are three characteristics that I believe our school should be proud to implement,” she read.
[RELATED: Students call for University to keep mascot]
As for the name Patriots, the cheerleader recognized that “it may come across as confusing that we are the Patriots, but do not utilize an exact Patriot mascot.”
However, “the term ‘Patriot’ within [UT Tyler’s] specific context refers to the students, faculty, and other affiliates being proud of who we are, loyal to the school, and supportive of one another through our collegiate experience here at UT Tyler,” she read.
In the conclusion of her letter, Maxfield provided tweets from students and a student organization that she claims help to demonstrate that students and athletes “do not believe [the mascot or Patriots] should be changed in any name, manner or form.”
Why SGA?
She came to SGA in hopes it would be a means of delivering the letter to Tidwell and to start a movement to persuade him keep Swoop and Patriots, she said in an interview Wednesday night.
“I feel like SGA has a lot of connections on campus, to the president and administration of UT Tyler,” she said. “I feel like there’s a lot of powerful people here that if we work together and brainstorm we could really make a difference.”
What It Means to Maxfield
Maxfield, who started her college career at Texas State University and but said it was not the school for her, said she is proud to be at UT Tyler.
“I love my school. I love being a UT Tyler Patriot. I have a lot of school spirit,” she said in the interview. “My experience here being a student has meant a lot to me.”
“So just hearing things about like, they want to change it, they want to change the mascot, I don’t understand why we need to change anything,” she said.
“I think it’s already great the way that it is. So, that’s why it’s really sensitive and important to me because I wouldn’t want to change a thing. And I feel like a lot of other students and athletes feel the same way,” she said.
She also rejected the idea that marketing purposes are a sufficient reason to change Swoop and Patriots.
“I don’t think that our problem, when it comes to marketing, is necessarily with our logo and mascot. I think there’s(sic) other aspects that go into that like, make cuter tshirts and don’t make them $40 dollars,” she joked.
“So, there are other ways we can prosper our marketing. So I don’t understand why, I guess–why the mascot, why Swoop, why Patriots–does [Tidwell] think that’s going to make a difference.”
“If it were to be changed, I feel like our school would be saying that being unique, being traditional is not as important as selling enough tshirts and getting more students. I feel like that’s something we should value, especially over marketing,” she said.
SGA Response
SGA responded with some discussion during New Business. Vice President Savannah Seely, a school athlete, said she believed Tidwell’s reason for being inclined to change the mascot and Patriots name was because he could not see why these were so important to students.
She also said that if someone is going to persuade Tidwell not to change the mascot and handle, they need to explain why it matters so much to students that he keep it.
Many members of the senate expressed support for Maxfield’s effort.
Senator Lindsey Bell said an official survey to the student body would be good input for the effort to keep Swoop and Patriots and would help identify the reasons why students want to keep both.
Another senator said SGA could seek Patriot Talon’s help in making videos to capture student input.
SGA Advisor Joshua Neaves told the organization that he recommended–and that he think it should–invite Tidwell and new Marketing Director Lucus Roebuck to attend SGA so that the assembly can hear from Tidwell directly on his position about potential changes the mascot and name.
The assembly discussed the topic, but took no action on the request in this meeting.
What’s Next for Maxfield?
Maxfield said she just came to open discussion with SGA but that she is open to members’ ideas.
She said she’d love to deliver the letter to Tidwell directly because she feels that he may not understand how important the mascot and name Patriots means to students.
“The way he was describing it [to student athletes],” she said, “I feel like he doesn’t really believe that we care that much about our mascot.”
“So I think that if he sees actual faces, actual students, you know, working to keep the Patriots and keep Swoop, really putting forth the effort, that maybe it’ll open his eyes a little bit and help him get a better perspective on why this is so meaningful to us.”
The Bell Tower Press will continue to follow this story. Stay tuned.
Twitter: @jhescock
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