BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – APRIL 19, 2012- The University of Texas at Brownsville’s Mascot Search Committee will let the student community’s voices be heard with an open forum to discuss the new mascot finalists from 12:15 to 1 p.m. Friday, April 20 at the Student Union Veranda.  

The forum will be a chance for students to express their views on which mascot finalist should be selected to become UTB’s new official mascot. Students are encouraged to bring signs and campaign for their favorite mascot choice.

The five finalists for new mascot are the ocelot, the jaguarundi, the bull shark, the parrot and the vaqueros.

The community outreach polling will end Thursday, April 19 and the results will be revealed during the forum. To take the online survey, visit www.utb.edu/mascot and click Community Voting.

The university community is encouraged to campaign for their favorite mascot and most of the campaigning is happening online at the UTB Facebook or on Twitter @UTBrownsville using #UTBmascot.

As part of this community outreach, the Office of Student Life is currently hosting a Mascot Door Decorating Contest that began on Wednesday, April 11 and will end 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 also be able to vote for their favorite door 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.

The final round of student 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

“I really expect that for the final mascot voting in April, over 5,000 people will vote,” 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.

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 official Mascot Search webpage on the UTB website updates regularly with news regarding the search for the new mascot.

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

Questions regarding the Mascot Open Forum should be directed to Sergio Martinez, Director of Student Life, at 956-882-5138 or Sergio.martinez3@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.