Article

On second birthday, Bearcat named Baxter

“Baxter” was nominated by members of the Junior Bearcat Club, a 12 and under group that supports BU athletics
Stephanie Conklin - Staff Writer

Becky Gillard/Athletic Dept.
Baxter is overjoyed with his new identity.

After being nameless for over a year, the Binghamton University mascot finally has an identity - Baxter the Bearcat.

The name, “Baxter,” was chosen by the Midnight Madness committee out of numerous suggestions from BU students and members of the community.

After narrowing the selection to six, an ad placed in Pipe Dream helped to spread word on campus about which names students would support for the Bearcat. After all nominations had been made, the committee, which consists of students, faculty, and administrators, decided on the name Baxter. “Baxter” was nominated by members of the Junior Bearcat Club, a 12 and under group that supports BU athletics.

Last year’s Midnight Madness marked the beginning of the “Name the Bearcat” contest, when a contest box was placed in the West Gym and remained there throughout the year.

The contest also spread to the community as it was promoted at the Oakdale Mall, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Giant Food Markets.

The opinion on campus over the naming of the Bearcat was varied. Biology major Roger Sood said, “I wish our mascot was something more ferocious. I want it to strike fear into the hearts of our opponents. I used to have a hamster named Baxter.”

“Baxter is a good name for a mascot because mascots are supposed to energize people. They get the crowd fired up for a really big game,” said sophomore financial economics major Jerome Viola.

The contest was primarily run under the supervision of Dave Simek, the associate director for Advertising,

Promotions & External Events in the Athletic department. “Baxter became a popular choice throughout the entire process,” Simek said.

The no-longer-anonymous Bearcat will now have the name Baxter displayed on the back of his shirt.