URBANA, Ill. (WAND) – A proposed “Alma Otter” at the University of Illinois did not get enough votes in in the school’s spring student election.
The mascot, created by three U of I juniors on social media in December, was meant as a joke. It started to gain steam and, after seeing growing popularity, ended up getting ballot approval from the Illinois Student Government. Hundreds of people signed a change.org petition to make the “Alma Otter” the mascot.
The News-Gazette reports the official tally was 3,807 votes against to 3,510 votes in favor. That’s a margin of less than 300 votes. Over 8,000 students voted in the election, and more than 7,300 of them answered the “Alma Otter” question.
Critics of the Otter idea have said it’s not intimidating and shouldn’t replace the famous Chief Illiniwek, which was discontinued in 2007 over backlash. Supporters argued the idea is comparable to other animal mascots in the Big Ten Conference and pays homage to the once-endangered river otter in Illinois.
The newspaper says other recently suggested mascots include “Krush” the bear, an eagle in honor of the “Flying Illini”, an “Illini 22” bus or a robot to honor the school’s tech history. To decide on a new mascot U of I Chancellor Robert Jones is waiting on ideas from the Commission on Native Imagery, which is tasked with finding a way for the school to honor its native heritage and build on new traditions. It is expected to have results before the semester ends.
Results of the vote are not binding and were only advisory to U of I officials.
