[Article announcing the decision to update university mascot]

University Makes Difficult Decision to Change Mascot

After several years of careful consideration and discussion, leaders at PLNU have determined that the university’s current mascot, the Crusader, should be retired in favor of an image that more positively represents the university’s mission and identity.

A formal rationale adopted by the administrative Cabinet summarized the concerns around the mascot name. “The Crusader mascot was adopted in a time when the meaning of and reaction to the term was much more clearly identifiable with the honorable aspects of a positive cause, particularly in a Christian institutional sense,” the rationale reads. “Additionally, the mascot was developed in an era of men-only intercollegiate athletics, thereby making the male design of the mascot more reflective of the athletic program. However, both of these conditions have been significantly altered in the passing of time, particularly in the last twenty years.”

The document continues, “Considerable debate has continued regarding the wisdom of using a mascot that is historically identified with a particularly violent and deadly period of Christian history. Recent global religious fundamentalism has increased the attention and disregard for the Crusader symbol in many aspects of the campus community.”

The mascot is used primarily by the university’s sports teams, student programs and on logo merchandise.

Across the university community, the announcement of the change has been met with both approval and criticism. “We are grateful for those who care about the university and this issue and have been willing to express their opinions and suggestions,” said Gordon Golsan, vice president for Student Development, who oversees the athletic program. “We acknowledge there are deep attachments and long-standing traditions associated with the Crusader and we certainly want to honor our history as we go about this process.”

Alumni may remember various iterations of the Crusader mark over the years, including a charging Crusader on a steed, used in Pasadena, and the more cartoonish Charlie Crusader, who appeared in the 1970s. The mark was updated in 1998 when the institution changed to university status.

To facilitate the change President Bob Brower has appointed a task force, comprised of representatives from faculty, staff, current students, alumni and coaching staff, to choose a new mascot. The task force has established criteria for the new image: it should communicate 1) a sense of place, especially the proximity of the main campus to the ocean; 2) the institution’s spiritual identity; 3) dignity and strength; and 4) be appropriate for both men’s and women’s athletic teams.

Members of the task force have surveyed the groups they represent asking for suggestions for a new mascot. From those surveyed, hundreds of options have been suggested. Once all alternatives have been considered, the task force will make a recommendation to the President and Cabinet, who will make the final decision. At that time, work will begin on a new graphic representation.

The final decision is due this spring. An announcement will appear in an upcoming issue of the Viewpoint or on the university’s web site at www.ptloma.edu

[Copy from brochure introducing the new mascot]

Meet Point Loma’s New Mascot…The Sea Lion

Earlier this year, Point Loma Nazarene University announced that the process of changing the mascot had begun.

“For decades, the university has been represented by the Crusader and for most of those years, it has worked admirably,” said President Bob Brower.

“However increasing numbers of students studying and traveling abroad and the changing political climates around the world reveal issues of safety related to the changing meaning of the word, Crusader. Additionally, these changing meanings have too often carried responses not reflective of the character and values of the university. Although the decision to make a change was not easy, it occurred after considerable discussion over a number of years.”

To accomplish the task of choosing the new mascot, President Brower appointed a task force made up of representatives from the coaching staff, faculty, students, alumni and staff. The task force began by creating objectives that the new mascot should accomplish. They determined the mascot should 1) reflect the proximity of the ocean to the main campus; 2) communicate the university’s spiritual heritage and identity; 3) be a mark of strength and dignity; and 4) be applicable for both men’s and women’s teams.

That part was easy. The hard part was considering literally hundreds of options. “We checked out every sea creature, every geographical feature of the area, every indigenous plant, every animal that can be found on the Point,” said Tim Hall, soccer coach, assistant chaplain and chair of the task force. “We also went back through the history of the university looking for any character or concept that might make a good mascot.”

The task force invited suggestions and input from every group they represented (faculty, staff, students and alumni) as well as consultants from local public relations firms. Readers of the Viewpoint were also invited to submit suggestions. While the committee was still researching its options, university leaders set about determining who would actually design the mark once the concept was chosen.

That’s where Sharon Box comes into the story. Sharon, a 1981 graduate of PLNU, art major, salutatorian of her class and ASB director of publicity, is the principal of a design firm based in Los Angeles called Out of the Box Creative. She has a long history of professional success and an impressive client list, including Disney, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Milwaukee Brewers and the National Basketball Association.

Oh, and by the way, she has some experience in mascot design. Sharon and her team designed the mascots for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Plus she has one more quality that made her the perfect candidate to design PLNU’s new mascot.

She is incredibly talented.

That talent was evident while she was a student at Point Loma. Karl Martin, PLNU professor of literature, was ASB president in 1980-81 when Sharon was director of publicity. “It was great because we would ask her to design a poster we needed to promote an event,” he said. “The next day, she would come back with a design that was incredible.”

And the years since she left Point Loma have only seasoned her talent. Sharon was approached by Karen DeSollar, PLNU director of communications, who filled her in on a narrow list of options generated by the committee. The final decision depended on how those concepts might be translated into an image.

Sharon and her team went to work and quickly began to breathe life into an idea. They returned to the committee with a unique depiction of a mighty Sea Lion rising from the waves.

A play on words, the Sea Lion combines the feature for which PLNU’s campus is most known—the beauty and power of the Pacific, with the aggressive and fierce qualities of a lion. The roaring lion is seen emerging from the waves of the churning sea. It’s a combination that spells formidable to opponents of PLNU sports teams.

The new Sea Lion mark will be used primarily for athletic teams, environmental graphics in Golden Gym and at other university athletic facilities, and by student groups for ministry programs and projects. The university’s Common Knowledge bookstore will be making available a line of products with the mascot image at the beginning of the 2003-2004 academic year.

And that’s not all. There’s another dimension to the Sea Lion that will be unveiled during the fall semester…but you will hear more about that later.

President Brower concludes, “We believe the Sea Lion will represent PLNU as an institution of strength, power and character for many years to come.”

[Accompanying sidebar introducing Sharon Box]

The new Sea Lion mascot concept and design was created by 1981 Point Loma alumna Sharon Box. Like many who read the article in the winter 2003 Viewpoint requesting feedback on the Crusader mascot, Sharon emailed back a response. Several weeks later, when PLNU contacted her to see if she would be interested in the challenge of developing the new sports mascot, she found it hard to say no—especially since she agreed the change was long overdue.

Sharon comes uniquely qualified to design the new mascot. After earning a degree in art at PLNU, she was accepted into the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where she graduated with honors in illustration and design. For the next 15 years, Sharon served as the executive creative director and principal designer for a branding design firm with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. Under her leadership, Sharon and her team were responsible for award-winning brand identities, retail displays, packaging and the design of freestanding stores like Build-a-Bear Workshop, which just opened its 102nd store at Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego. Sharon has worked with a diverse array of clients including Disney, Target and Coca-Cola. She and her team had the honor of originating the mascots for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

In 2001, Sharon resigned to start her own design company called Out of the Box Creative. “Design, if it is relevant,” she said, “is created to tell a compelling story that connects with the audience.”

She continues, “My team and I are proud to have originated the Sea Lion mascot and logo for PLNU.”

To see other examples of Sharon’s work, visit her web site.

The Legend of the Sea Lion

Imagine standing on a rocky cliff, overlooking the expansive horizon before you and breathing in the ocean air. Below, the surf pounds steadily against the shoreline but on this day, its roar seems deeper and more fierce than you remember. You take a stop toward the edge and peer over the side, scanning the water’s edge.

Suddenly, the unmistakable silhouette of a kingly lion explodes through the waves. Deliberately, yet gracefully, it strolls from the water and shakes its mane, tossing a thousand drops in an arc around its head. As the waves crawl rhythmically back toward the sea, the big cat pauses on the sand and stretches its elegant muscles.

This is no tame lion. This is the Sea Lion, a creature like none other. Mysterious and stalwart like the ocean it comes from, it rules over its seaside kingdom with a quiet confidence that comes from power it knows cannot be challenged. The Sea Lion wields that power judiciously and with wisdom and humility.

The mighty Sea Lion dominates this beach that is its home and playground. It lifts a huge paw and slashes the air, then arches its head and roars. Seagulls flap into the sky. The cliffs under you shake and the water ripples.

Imagine watching as the Sea Lion wanders to the base of the hillside. The massive paw prints its leaves in the sand won’t wash away soon. The lion settles into the shade cast by a hollow in the cliff, gazes out over its domain and prepares to stand watch…

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