Argh Matey! PC unveils new mascot
by Alexis Espinoza
The first ever Welcome Day at Porterville College on Friday August 18th introduced more than just a new group of students to the campus. It debuted a brand new Pirate mascot that will help rile the crowds and keep school spirit high during events at the college.
In front of hundreds of incoming students, the mascot made its first pass across the gymnasium floor as he was trailed by a group of faculty members who tossed chocolate gold coins into the stands. PC’s student body (ASPC) president Alicia Vargas told the crowd the mascot has been a while in the making and it has been a special project for the school.
“I didn’t join ASPC until my second semester, so when I joined ASPC it was already in the process,” said Vargas. “It was already an idea and there were already some concepts, but we were still deciding a couple things.”
The intricate Pirate suit features an eye-patch, bandana, gold hoop earring, and an emblazoned coat belted at the waist with a gold buckle. PC President Dr. Claudia Habib didn’t skip the opportunity to snap a selfie with the mascot and Vargas in front of the Welcome Day group.
Vargas said the mascot design was an involved process she and her fellow students provided and gathered a lot of input for. She said they wanted to make sure the mascot suit incorporated visual aspects desired by the students and several concepts were considered before the final design was agreed upon.
“They wanted a parrot, so we did that and it didn’t look good,” said Vargas. “We decided on no parrot and then they wanted to give him a sword but we didn’t do that either. We would go to meetings and look at sketches and prototypes on PDF’s, then decided as a team what we wanted it to look like. When it was finally said and done and we approved it, it looked great.”
Vice President of Student Services Primavera Arvizu was excited to see the mascot, noting this was the first time she could recall the college ever having a physical Pirate mascot.
“To have a mascot represented at the games and student activities and events that we have brings a sense of pride and a sense of yes, this is my college, this is where I work, this is where we make a difference,” said Arvizu. “I feel that you get the rush and feel excited and feel you definitely want to be at that game or activity. You feel the energy. I think this new mascot, with unveiling the mascot to different groups of people, the energy is definitely there.”
Arvizu said she thinks the addition of the mascot will generate more interest in attending sporting events because the pirate will create a sense of pride and promote a belonging among the student body as a whole.
Now that the character has been introduced to the campus, the next step in its journey is to be given a name. Roger Perez, Director of Communication and Community Relations, said a few names for the character have been tossed around but nothing has been chosen definitively.
