AMHERST — A new mascot for Amherst College is scheduled to be unveiled at Homecoming 2017 following a selection process that is expected to take many months.
The college announced Monday that current students, alumni, faculty and staff can begin submitting ideas for a new mascot, both online and in writing, through Nov. 30.
The need for a new mascot comes after the Lord Jeff was eliminated as the unofficial nickname and mascot by the college’s board of trustees in January.
The previous mascot was based on Lord Jeffery Amherst, commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America during the French and Indian War of 1754-63. But there was growing controversy around him due to his advocacy for wiping out American Indians by giving them blankets infected with smallpox.
Sports teams this fall are being referred to as the “purple and white.”
The mascot process includes the establishment of a 23-member Mascot Committee that includes representatives from the Alumni Executive Committee, the Association of Amherst Students, the Student Traditions Committee and faculty and staff.
In December and January, the Mascot Committee will narrow finalists to fewer than 30 names, which “best unify and represent the Amherst community using criteria.”
These criteria include representing positive qualities, ideals or associations around which students and others can rally, and working equally well for women’s and men’s sports teams.
Next spring, the finalists will be narrow to a top five, and then instant runoff voting will be used to pick a new mascot.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
