Chuck Hagen was a bit uncertain about the current mascot, too, but said he thought the “NSU Sasquatches” would work better than the Bigfoots.

(Sasquatch is what Bigfoot is called in Canada. Why Canada keeps being inserted into this issue is a mystery, at least to the writer.)

“I don’t even know what the mascot is right now,” said Hagel. “Do we have a mascot?”

That seems like a strange question to come out of a college student’s mouth, but Hagel wasn’t alone in his mascotlessness (if that’s a word).

Would Anna Gurley support a mascot change?

“I don’t know. What is the mascot right now?” was her response, after which she was apprised of the Redman/Rowdy situation. “Change it to Bigfoot? Sure, I’d go for it.”

NSU graduate “Big” Will Boatman – who sometimes serves as the Press’ unofficial etiquette and protocol consultant on matters as far fetched as the appropriateness of flip-flops and proper jail behavior – has an opinion or two on the mascot issue.

But then, he would.

He was present during last week’s mural repainting, and took a liking to the proposed mascot change immediately. He’s even volunteered to be “Bigfoot” at NSU’s sporting events.

“We’re called the NSU Redmen, but the mascot’s not even a Native American. It’s a Muppet that scares little children,” said Boatman, who’s evidently of the opinion that Bigfoot would not have the same effect on youngsters. “At a game, we could have a sighting, with Bigfoot running across the field. Even if people don’t like sports, they’d show up just for the sighting.”

Boatman even suggested a related mascot for the NSU women’s sports teams – the Lady Yetis.

(The Yeti, more commonly known as the Abominable Snowman, is the Himalayan version of Bigfoot).

Green said she’s not ready just yet to start campaigning for Bigfoot (or Sasquatch, or the Yeti) as a new mascot, but she’s seen enough interest expressed that she’s going to include the Bigfoot option on a questionnaire about the issue later this semester.

“We’re not saying, ‘Hey, let’s change the mascot to Bigfoot!’ We’re just saying the opportunity is there,” Green said. “We’ll put it on the questionnaire and see how many people would be interested in it.”

Neal Weaver, NSU vice president for University Relations, said any mascot change would probably involve a survey of both the students and the alumni.