Samurai's Days Numbered -- Dolphin To Replace Shoreline Mascot

-- SHORELINE

So long Samurai.

The Dolphin will officially replace the 26-year-old Shoreline Community College mascot as of July 1.

The college's Board of Trustees adopted the new mascot last Friday along with a policy prohibiting offensive mascots.

Objections to Samurai surfaced four years ago when students and faculty denounced the ferocious sword-wielding caricature as derogatory.

The college phased out use of the caricature on school materials and sports equipment. Some student Senate officers last fall took up the issue to replace the warrior, saying it is ethnically insensitive.

Waiting until July will avoid confusion for school events already publicized under the Samurai heading, said a college spokeswoman.

Don't expect any drastic changes in sports.

The college probably will delay replacing the "S" on uniforms with a "D" for Dolphins because some athletes were unhappy about the change.

Officials also want to make sure the Dolphin doesn't get dumped for another symbol in the near future, said Dwight Nyquist, head of athletics for the college.

The letter "S" can still stand for Shoreline, Nyquist said.

Michael Badalamente, editor of Ebbtide, the student newspaper, led a protest saying students were only given a ballot to choose replacement mascots and never had the option of keeping the Samurai.

The new college policy says the mascot "must be in good taste and must be free of direct or indirect reference to any racial, ethnic, or religious group of people."

The college public information officer, Student Body Association Executive Board and the Student Body Association Senate would determine if the mascot violates the policy.