AP Mississippi voters may get a chance to cast their ballot for President, Vice President and Colonel Reb in 2012. Yep. Rebel Black Bear has been the official mascot at Ole Miss for several months now, but somewhere in Dixie, the school’s deposed former mascot, Col. Reb, is plotting his comeback. Supporters have organized a PAC, with the goal to get Col. Reb on the ballot in 2012 to be reinstated as the University of Mississippi’s mascot. Col. Reb was tossed out by the school in 2004 amidst claims that he fostered negative southern stereotypes. The school went without a mascot until 2010, when Rebel Black Bear was chosen in a vote by students.
By Col. Reb supporters have always been on the sideline, grumbling. They will not let this go.
Members of the Colonel Reb Political Action Committee are seeking 100,000 registered voters to sign its petition for Initiative Measure No. 37, which would put Colonel Reb, the longtime mascot for the University of Mississippi, on the state ballot in 2012 or 2014.
The PAC announced last week that Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has approved and certified Initiative 37, which would allow voters to decide whether the Colonel should be restored as the Ole Miss mascot.
The 100,000 signatures must be evenly divided among the former map of Mississippi’s five congressional districts.
It’s unclear whether a government election can force a university to adopt a mascot. Get rid of a mascot, yes. Besides, this whole thing seems to me like an elaborate plot for Col. Reb to meet girls.
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PAC works to put Colonel Reb on 2012 ballot [WMCTV]
Colonel Reb gets his own PAC [Gulf Live]
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- southernpatriots - Sep 14, 2011 at 7:22 PM
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It was discussed that Col. Reb for the University of Mississippi Rebels (or as we knew them for generations in Louisiana, the Ole Miss Rebels) was a symbol of a time in the past that most wanted to forget which represented the pre-Civil war South. Now it appears some want the electorate in the entire state of Mississippi to vote on something that the students and administration have already decided. We find that strange. Certainly the University of Mississippi receives a huge amount of money each year from the taxpayers of Mississippi (as well as from the SEC). We do not know the Constitution of the state or the bylaws to know if any referendum or vote of the electorate would require the administration of the University of Mississippi to do anything, much less change the mascot. This is strange and may be met with law suits. All we know is that want to beat Ole Miss with Col. Reb or with Rebel Black Bear. We’ll have Mike the Tiger deal with them both!
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- olemissgraduate - Sep 14, 2011 at 10:04 PM
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Colonel Reb is my mascot.
