NASA >> Mascot Information >> AS Mascot Press Release

CONTACT: Juanita Salas – President, CEO
                    Government Affairs Office
                    619-594-6555
                    November 27, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS TAKES POSITION ON SDSU MASCOT

San Diego, CA – On Wednesday, November 19, 2003, the Associated Students (AS) Council, the student government body of San Diego State University, voted to not endorse the recently proposed “Aztec Warrior” mascot referendum, introduced by University President, Stephen L. Weber. From December 3-5, 2003, current SDSU students, Alumni Association members, and Aztec Athletic Foundation members will vote on the proposed Aztec Warrior mascot electronically.

The majority of AS Council members voted in favor of the “Resolution Supporting a New University Mascot”, written by two student organizations on campus, Native American Student Alliance (NASA) and Movimiento Estudiantíl Chicana/o de Aztl á n (MEChA).

This action is a recommendation to President Weber to postpone the mascot referendum until Spring 2004 semester, and that the “Aztec Warrior” be immediately removed from consideration as the SDSU mascot. The resolution also recommends that AS hold a

campus-wide contest beginning early next year encouraging current students to submit non-human mascot proposals to the Cross Cultural Advisory Board which will be voted on during AS Elections week in March 2004.

Associated Students is a student-directed auxiliary organization and non-profit corporation representing the more than 34,000 students on the SDSU campus. AS Council serves as the board of directors and is comprised of five elected student executive officers -- including the A.S. President, 22 students representing student majors in the seven colleges and unclassified studies, 15 students representing various student organizations, one representative of the University President and one faculty representative from the University Senate.

For more information about Associated Students, log on to www.as.sdsu.edu .

Encl: AS Council Bill Fall 03-02 “Resolution Supporting a New University Mascot”

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