Bye Bye Hippo?

We all remember the Hippo scare, when the news broke that the university may be ending the use of the Hippo as our unofficial mascot. The university almost immediately came out and said that, no, there was just confusion over the ordering of the Hippo merchandise with the bookstore, and that the Hippo would remain the unofficial mascot. The Hippo, they argued, while being used less often for televised events, would still be an important addition to campus life. But then this week the Hatchet reported that the Hippo still is being ignored by the administration. The Hatchet talked to the people at the bookstore, and reported this:

Follett Regional Director Nancy Sattler, who supervises University Bookstore Manager Pat Lee, said this month that the only hippo-related items the bookstore carries are key chains, decals and the remainder of the "alive and well" T-shirts - which were created after reports of the hippo's phase out.

Does this sound like the University is really trying to save the Hippo?

To be fair, though, this may not be a bad thing. I'm a member of the first class to enter with Steven Knapp as President, so maybe I just don't get it. But I like Big George, and I don't really get why the Hippo even exists. What's the point of an unofficial mascot? So, if you feel strongly about this, post a comment. Convince me that the Hippo should stay.