We had the RPI vs. Rensselaer thread a while back, now here's
another name change at the 'Tute for RPI/Rensselaer/Engineer/???
fans to ponder:
 
From the Polytechnic, 12/7/94:
 
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Rensselaer Launches Search for New Sports Nickname, Mascot
 
Contest Encourages Alumni, Students, Faculty, Staff to Name the
Teams
 
From 1954 to the mid 1960s they were the Bachelors.  In the 60s
they became the Engineers.  This week the Rensselaer Spirit
Committee launched a contest open to alumni, faculty, staff, and
students to find a new sports nickname.  Members of the Rensselaer
community hope to create an updated, broader nickname that better
reflects Rensselaer and its sports teams in the 1990s and beyond.
 
The Rensselaer Spirit Committee was appointed by President R.
Byron Pipes to enhance the pride and visibility of the Institute's
sports programs.  The committee includes students, alumni, faculty,
and staff.
 
The committee's first recommendation is the introduction of a new
nickname for use by all Rensselaer sports.  "We're suggesting a name
with a broader image that has opportunities for a mascot and other
spirit-building elements," said committee chairperson Kerry Quinn.
 
The nickname Engineers has been used primarily by Rensselaer's
Division I hockey team and never gained widespread use by all sports
programs, partly because it did not reflect the entire university and
also due to its limited opportunity for logo, mascot, and promotional
use, Quinn continued.
 
The committee is requesting nickname and mascot ideas from all
members of the Rensselaer community.  The new name should reflect
some aspect of Rensselaer, such as its tradition and history, its
geographic location, or its academic mission or nature.  Special
consideration will be given to those names that can be translated into
identifiable mascots.  Send entries to:  The Rensselaer Nickname
Contest, Rensselaer Athletic Department, Alumni Sports and
Recreation Center, by March 1, 1995.  The winning entry will receive
a $100 bookstore gift certificate.
 
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I have a few problems with what was said.  First, I think the
nickname "Engineers" has caught on with all the teams.  So it doesn't
reflect the entire university.  Does that mean all the students at
Boston University are Terriers?  Sure didn't look like it the last time
I was there.  Engineer has "limited opportunity for logo, mascot and
promotional use."  Well, we had a mascot, the swarm, and that was
taken away.  It made very nice logos and was a hit with the fans.
Why not go back to that?  Frankly, the nickname and the mascot do
not need to be related for a school to merchandise successfully.  Is
that bear they sell on Cornell paraphernalia the "Big Red" species?
No.  The promotional problems with RPI merchandise is due entirely
to RPI administration, not because of the nickname.  If they really
tried, RPI could be very successful in selling its images.  They just
don't try.
 
This has been a trying year for a traditionalist like myself.  No World
Series for the first time in 90 years.  The NHL season is on the brink
of cancellation.  But changing the nickname of my alma mater hits
hard.  It's as though someone cut out my heart and showed it to me
while I stood there dying, and for the first time in my life, the
perpetrator of this cruel act was not a female.
 
No sense in trying to stop the wind.  The nickname will change.
However, I have one request, addressed to the hockey-lers from
UMass-Lowell.  How does one deal, emotionally, with the change in
your school's nickname?
 
Kurt Stutt
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