Each time groups of prospective UW-Eau Claire students arrive for their campus preview day, it is almost inevitable that one of the inquisitive parents will ask the blue and yellow striped tour guide “what is a Blugold?”

Junior Casey Driscoll hopes to create a more concrete answer for the guides when the murky question arises. Driscoll’s idea of wanting a school mascot is legitimate; however, he needs to be sure to keep the students in mind and not press forward his own agenda at the expense of the student body.

Driscoll, better known as Momentum Monday Man or Chip E. Wa, began working towards a permanent school mascot and recently started The Corps of Excellence student union, a non-university recognized group that intends to act as a collective student voice for ideals such as campus climate, according to an article in The Spectator.

Driscoll’s enthusiasm for creating what he calls better school spirit is commendable. His passion should be a lesson for everyone. However, to say that our university lacks school spirit or has poor school spirit is false. Many of our alumni and current students take pride in this university. There might not be as much pride or spirit such as that found in a Big Ten school, but it does indeed exist. A mascot may help this, but Driscoll needs to be sure that the ‘mythical bird’ is what the students and alumni want as their mascot, not just himself.

Driscoll has to be sure to go through the proper channels when it comes to creating these campus symbols by having a proper student referendum. He needs to be sure to go through Student Senate, be sure to get administration involved and most importantly get students on board.

If the students ultimately get a vote, the alumni’s opinion considered and the proper channels are sought, there should be no reason why this university cannot have a mascot or a Corps of Excellence. But Driscoll needs to make sure he does not hijack student spirit as a means of forwarding his own ideals.