As I write this, March Madness is dribbling, shooting, and rebounding its way into the Elite 8. At the same time, one of my fellow bloggers here has expressed that he has reached his Oriole-based disappointment threshold, and is seeking new loyalties. One of the comments to his post suggested that he follow the Lady Terps, who will face Louisville in the Elite 8 this Monday night. While this is a solid suggestion indeed – the Lady Terps’ brand of basketball is fast, intense, and engaging – wouldn’t it be better if UB students (and staff, and faculty, and administrators…) had our own team to follow?
The UBgamer campus organization apparently has a mascot, the Emu. The law school has the Poe statue. But the UB community overall? Not so much. Someone told me that we are the Bees, or possibly the Super Bees, but I have found no further evidence of such an appellation. Plus, who wants to be the Bees? We want to be something fierce (although maybe being “fierce” is reserved for MICA students…I hope not). May I suggest wolves, or maybe lions? Those would go pretty well with the other animals in our fair city – tigers, bears, eagles, etc.
True, we have a club lacrosse team that travels to Navy and Salisbury, among others. And our intramural basketball squad plays the other local universities once a year in the “Intramural Battle of Baltimore.” Of course, those schools send their teams to regulation tournaments also, representing Baltimore in the MEAC, ACFC, and CAA conferences, to provide just a sample.
I know we are a small school…but in the University’s new Strategic Plan 2008-2012, we are frequently compared (in terms of enrollment, role within the larger Maryland System, etc) with schools like Frostburg State, Salisbury University, and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Those are all NCAA schools – Frostburg and Salisbury in Division III, UMES in Division I. True, they all have campuses that are not smack in the middle of a city, but perhaps we should look at our urban location as an asset and opportunity, not as a limitation.
The Strategic Plan suggests that the school will gradually develop more green space and be more like a “regular” campus. Perhaps some effort could be made to use some of that green space (not to mention the already fantastic facilities in our shiny – and locally renowned – recreation center). Not only would it offer a new way to recruit students for a full four-year undergrad stint at UB (another goal of the strategic plan) but it would give students a way to feel like part of the larger educational community. It would give us something to root for, a smidge of collective and neighborhood identity, that we presently lack.
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4 comments:
Rafe, I swear, we're on the same plane. Well, in the sense that I was wondering a) what our mascot is, and b) hoping it was something formidable and inspiring. Also, just wanted to warm up your post with a comment! Kudos on the blogging gig.
Our traditional mascot is, indeed, the bee. This goes back to the days when UB was an athletic powerhouse in the NCAA. In 1983, however, UB withdrew from interstate competition. The UB Alumni Association hosts an Athletic Hall of Fame event annually to recognize those alums who were very much involved in UB athletics. The issue is that it's hard to support a mascot without an athletics program behind it. What does the mascot do if it can't cheer on athletes? And athletics cost money ... in a time of tight purse strings, it might be hard to get this going. Thanks so much for your insight, Rafe ... it's great to hear your perspective.
I actually kind of like not having a mascot. I appreciate the feel of UB as a school for working adults who live in the city, not just a university that's wrapped up in its own academic and sports bubble.
This past weekend, I was sitting from a high vantage point with a bunch of out-of-towners, and was able to point to the large white "UB" letters (I believe on top of the law school?) I was proud that I could point directly to those letters and say, "That's my school."
I believe that the UB letters themselves are a perfect symbol for our school. They are a solid, simple, modern logo. A mascot is a little more immature and kind of creates a separate identity for the school. Although if we are looking at the issue from a sports perspective, I do kind of like the Bees, since it plays on the "B" of Baltimore, and because it links the school to its past. However, I would rather see UB spend its energy promoting its VERY unique programs and students, instead of going for sports.
Interesting post by the way, glad I added this blog to my bookmarks...
posted by a grad student in the MFA Creative Writing & Pub. Arts program
Man, I'm glad I found this post! I wholeheartedly agree with you! As a graduate student here at UB, I've often wished for an athletic team to root for...but alas, it seems to be a pipe dream. Even if they were just D3 teams, that would at least be a start for us. Its a shame that one of the founding schools for the North East Conference not only no longer has a presence in the Conference, but in the larger NCAA sports community.
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