Regents will decide Redhawks logo Friday

The board of regents will decide on a new Redhawks logo Friday as Southeast Missouri State University looks to market its new nickname on T-shirts and other merchandise beginning in December.

The university plans to start selling the new-logo merchandise at noon Dec. 8 in the University Center Ballroom.

"It is going to be good looking stuff," athletics director Don Kaverman said Wednesday.

School officials anticipate a huge demand among students, boosters and alumni for new-logo merchandise.

The regents will meet at 2 p.m. Friday at the Show Me Center.

The regents in June voted to retire the longtime Indian and Otahkian nicknames to avoid offending American Indians and to adopt the Redhawks nickname to better market the school.

University president Dr. Ken Dobbins said the regents will choose between two logo designs. The designs -- crafted with help from a logo design firm -- differ in terms of the type face and the depiction of the hawk. One drawing shows a hawk looking to land and another shows the bird in flight, Dobbins said.

The regents may recommend some changes to the logo, he said.

Revision deadline

Any revisions will be made over the next 10 days before the university begins the trademark and registration process through a licensing company, school officials said.

School officials plan to officially unveil the new logo at a Nov. 16 media day for its men's and women's basketball teams.

Meanwhile, a campus committee headed by sports marketing director Charles Wiles is working to settle on a mascot costume and find a student or students who will perform as the mascot at school sporting events.

The committee plans to name the mascot having received more than 500 suggestions over the past several weeks, Wiles said.

From that list, the committee has narrowed the choice down to five names: Rally, Ricky, Rocky, Rowdy and Rudy.

Southeast students, booster, alumni and the general public have an opportunity to state their preferences during homecoming this week either online at http://www2.semo.edu/urelations/mascot/ or by paper ballots that will be available in the campus tailgate area prior to Saturday's football game at Houck Stadium, Wiles said.

"Everybody who comes to the game will have a chance to vote," he said.

The committee plans to hold mascot tryouts on Nov. 12, Wiles said. Several students already have expressed interest in being the mascot, he said.

The new mascot will be unveiled at a televised, Jan. 22 basketball game between Southeast and Austin Peay State University at the Show Me Center.

Southeast hasn't had a mascot for nearly two decades. The university hasn't had a student dress up as an Indian mascot since 1985 and subsequent efforts to showcase a mascot were shortlived.

Wiles said the university likely will need at least two students to serve as mascot as well as more than one costume.

"A student would not be able to go to class if he or she made it to all 100 home athletic events," Wiles said.

Even with two students and two costumes, Wiles said the mascot won't be able to make every campus sporting event.

In addition to sporting events, Wiles said the mascot also will make public appearances at other events in the region.

Wiles said having a mascot could help entertain children and families as well as university students.

"It is going to be fun," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123