This is my second year at NIU and ever since arriving here, I’ve wondered why the university mascot is called the Huskies?

Let me say that I have nothing against Huskies—I’m an avid dog lover myself.

However, after spending several hours “cruising” the cornfields by car, bike and foot, I have yet to see a Huskie bounding across the seemingly endless fields that surround our campus.

But if you pause by the cornfields for just a brief moment on a pleasant fall’s day, one can possibly imagine and hear the sound of a mighty foe—the Corn Borer (European corn borer, Ostrinia Nubilalis) boring through its opponent.

No, this is not an April Fool’s joke come early. This is a serious attempt to raise the consciousness of the student population and how erroneous it is to have a mascot that does not truly represent our school.

Doesn’t the University of California at Santa Cruz have its Fighting Banana Slug? Richland High School in the state of Washington is the Bombers in reference to the Hanford nuclear facility nearby, and even closer to home, the DeKalb High School Barbs.

The change to such a fitting and unique name to the Corn Borers will give us a mascot to be proud of because it represents our geographical heritage.

The new mascot would attract national attention to our school and, more importantly, to the fine and upcoming athletic programs we have at NIU.

In order for us to have the Corn Borers as our mascot, we must show our interest and support in such a cause by expressing our views through the proper channels by letters to the editor, the administration and to the appropriate Student Association members.

GO NIU CORN BORERS—BORE ON!

Antonio Carrillo

Graduate Student

Geology