Final Five Mascot Choices Revealed
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – APRIL 9, 2012- A list that began with 32 potential mascots for The University of Texas at Brownsville has been brought down to five finalists thanks to the roughly 2,600 members of the campus community who voted this last election. 
The five finalists are the ocelot, the jaguarundi, the bull shark, the parrot and the vaqueros. First-round voting took place during the Student Government Association elections on March 27-29.
“We are delighted that so many students, faculty and staff voted for such a significant campus change as our future mascot,” said Mari Fuentes-Martin, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs and a member of the Mascot Search Committee, the committee in charge of overseeing the search for the new UTB mascot. “I really expect that for the final mascot voting in April, over 5,000 people will vote.”
The final round of voting will begin on Monday, April 23 through Wednesday, April 25 on Blackboard in conjunction with the elections for the Bougainvillea Ball king and queen.
Prior to elections, the Mascot Search Committee will reach out to the community by polling and speaking to UTB alumni, students in school districts in the surrounding counties and the community at large. This will take place Wednesday, April 18 through Thursday, April 19.
The Office of Student Life will host a Mascot Door Decorating Contest from Wednesday, April 11through Wednesday, April 25. All campus departments and registered student organizations are encouraged to participate by decorating their door in the theme of the preferred mascot of their choice.
The community will be able to vote via the official UTB Facebook page. The winner will be decided by whichever door photo has the most number of likes. The winner will receive a pizza party for their department for up to ten people.
On Friday, April 20 there will be a public forum regarding the mascot selections in the Student Union El Gran Salón. The results of the community polling will be revealed at that time.
The university community is encouraged to campaign for their favorite mascot; most of the campaigning is happening online at the UTB Facebook or on Twitter @UTBrownsville using #UTBmascot.
The Mascot Search Committee is comprised of representatives from several UTB departments and includes members of the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of Student Life, staff, students and alumni.
The new mascot will be revealed during the fall semester with the target reveal date falling during UTB’s Welcome Week dates.
For more information, visit utb.edu/mascot or contact the Mascot Search Committee at mascot@utb.edu. For more information on the Mascot Door Decorating Contest, or to register, contact Cristina Rivera at (956) 882-5111 or cristina.rivera@utb.edu