VOL 119, Issue 7—Oct. 28, 2021

10
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
CAMPUS CULTURE REPRESENTED IN OUR MASCOT
DONS WEEKLY
ROUNDUP
11
OPINION
Dear USF Foghorn and members of our USF Community,
As a content warning, the following letter includes reference to recent events
and coverage of sexual assault and harassment on campus. I thank the Foghorn
for their reporting and the many students who have contributed to the recent
coverage in the interest of creating a better USF.
When the Sports Illustrated article “A Predatory Culture, a Viral Reckoning—and
Now What?” broke, my phone—like those of so many in the USF
Community—lit up with messages as the story spread across social media and
local news outlets. When I sat down to read the full article I felt a range of emotions.
In some regards, nothing surprised me; there was nothing necessarily new
in the article, which compiled together years of stories and evidence into one expanded
and very public story. As I read the powerful testimonies of numerous students
reporting incidents only to then be ignored, I couldn’t help but think of all
of the stories this article did not mention. As a female faculty member at USF for
the past 12 years, I’ve witnessed
numerous students struggle with
reporting sexual assault, sexual
harassment, and other inappropriate
behavior only to experience
the same tepid responses
and lack of resolution outlined
in the recent article.
I applaud Lili Makensie’s
recent op-ed in the Foghorn
that expands the conversation
of survivors to include other
gender identities and traumatic
situations. In addition to the
female-identifiying students
whose stories I’ve heard, and
whom I assisted with reporting
and providing crisis resources,
I’ve also had queer male-identifying
students share stories of
being assulted and harassed as
well. As Makensie points out,
the issue goes beyond the soccer
team, beyond cis-gender female-identifying
students, and
even beyond students.
I too, as a faculty member, have experienced inappropriate harassment on
campus. These issues, of course, extend far beyond USF and are rooted in patriarchal
systems of oppression in our larger culture. These systems continue in part
because of prevalent stereotypes, including that of our own “Don.”
One of the main problems the recent Sports Illustrated article highlights is
that the third-party investigation found “the number of sexual misconduct incidents
within the men’s soccer program over a decade does not represent a pervasive
culture.” I’m left asking then, if it’s not “a pervasive culture,” what kind of culture
does it represent? And what kind of culture does USF as a whole represent?
In a recent meeting, the USFFA (the full-time faculty union at USF) had
with our new Provost Chinyere Oparah, she called for a cultural reset.
After the many tragedies, mishaps, frustrations, pandemics, and issues USF
has experienced in the past several years, I couldn’t agree more. I truly appreciate
the many listening sessions Provost Oparah has had to listen to the voices of the
USF community beyond those in administration. I am eager to work with her
and with others to co-design a new USF. To help precipitate this cultural reset
then, I cannot help but call out a need to examine the USF mascot.
The Don, according to the USF website, was “once used as a fancy way to
address Spanish nobles,” and has evolved to mean “a distinguished gentleman.
You know the type.” But I’m not sure: do I know the type? Many other common
GRAPHIC BY JAMES SALAZAR/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
definitions refer to a Don as a leader of an organized crime family. The Urban
Dictionary refers to a Don as “a man who is very sexy and powerful. This man
can control the hearts of all women, while being caring and still sexy.” Beyond the
inherent sexism in this image, I also have questions about the use of this "highly
stylized version of an old-school Spanish look” as mascot.
As a Design Professor who teaches visual communication and idenitity, I
can’t help but see the connection between a masked male mascot—known for
controlling women, organized crime, Spanish colonization, unapologetically lassoing
and sword fighting, and riding off on his high horse—and the culture that
has allowed the many accounts of chauvinistic behavior, sexual harassment and
assult to occur at USF. The images and symbols we choose to surround ourselves
with have an impact on how we perceive ourselves, and in the case of schools, can
affect students' self-esteem and overall climate.
In the summer of 2020, in the midst of the racial reckoning in the U.S. that
followed the murder of Geroge Floyd, many corporations took up re-branding
inativies to reassess their image. Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Eskimo Pies, Land
O’Lakes, Mrs. Butterworth’s, and many more brands took on new more inclusive
identities. Many pro sports
teams also began renaming and
rebranding initiatives including
the Washington Football Team,
the Cleveland Indians, and Kansas
City Chiefs. Many colleges
have also changed mascots for a
variety of reasons.
In some of my classes, I teach
about how we communicate with
images, colors, symbols and words
in visual literacy. I’ve presented
many of these branding case studies
to students and analyzed what
is being represented, to whom,
by whom, and how. I tell my students
that as designers, we do not
just make pretty pictures. There is
inherent meaning behind whatever
we create, and it is our job as
designers to be sensitive to what
we communicate and how. What
does it mean that we put masks
and mustaches on people in our
community?
The images and symbols we choose to surround ourselves with and represent
ourselves with have an impact on our collective well-being. I know that many
other students, faculty, and staff agree that a university which defines itself by its
social justice mission should not be represented by a Don.
I am not suggesting that simply changing our mascot will magically make
the sexist and traumatic experiences on campus go away. There’s a lot of work to
be done. I understand and support the students' demands for an apology from
the administration and to take accountability for the harm that has been caused
not only for those named and recognized in the case against the men's soccer
team, but for all of the incidents that have occured at USF and in support of all
survivors in our community.
As we move forward in what I hope will be a true cultural reset, in what I
hope will be an open dialogue on campus about supporting survivors and inclusive
intersectional change on campus, we need to ask: what kind of culture do we
represent? And what might that culture look like in a mascot? When we cheer on
not only our sports teams, but our entire USF community, I’d like to cheer for a
mascot that represents an inclusive, progressive community.
Rachel Beth Egenhoefer
Professor, Design, USF
Freshman Elle Soleau dribbles before sending a pass. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
JASON TITUS
Contributing Writer
USF soccer had a strong week on the pitch
as the men’s and women’s teams came away with
wins in their respective matches. Elsewhere,
USF women’s volleyball could not put a stop to
their losing skid. Here is your recap of the week
in Dons' sports.
USF men's soccer hit the road to face the
University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks
Oct. 19. The game remained scoreless until the
39th minute when Ferdy Ghafury found Bracken
Serra who fired a shot at the back of the net.
The goal went down as Serra’s second of the season,
and it proved to be the game-winner of the
contest as the Dons kept their opposition from
putting any points on the board. The victory was
USF’s first road win and first shutout of the season.
The Dons returned to Negoesco Stadium
Oct. 23 and hosted the Gonzaga University
Bulldogs in rainy conditions. USF’s Elias Thomas
earned a red card in the 21st minute of play,
and the Dons had to play the rest of the game
down a player. Nonso Adimabua got the Dons
on the board in the 55th minute, and Shayan
Charalaghi tied the game 2-2 in the 78th minute.
The Bulldogs squeaked by in overtime, and
USF lost by a score of 2-3.
Looking ahead, the Dons embark on a twogame
road trip against the University of the
Pacific Tigers and the University of San Diego
(USD) Toreros.
USF women's soccer hosted the Brigham
Young University (BYU) Cougars Oct. 20 in
wet and rainy weather. The Cougars scored three
goals before the Dons got on the board in the
45th minute courtesy of Marissa Vasquez. In
the end, the nationally-ranked No. 12 Cougars
came away with a 1-3 win.
The Dons reversed their fortunes Oct. 23
when they shut out the University of the Pacific
Tigers by a score of 1-0. Elle Soleau netted
the lone goal in the 44th minute of the contest.
Elsewhere, Megan Nail made her first start as
goalkeeper.
The Dons return to the pitch Oct. 30 when
they host the Pepperdine University Waves.
USF women's volleyball were swept in their
homestand at the Sobrato Center. The Dons fell
to the Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels
Oct. 21 by a score of 0-3. The Dons also could
not find their groove against the University of
the Pacific Tigers Oct. 23, falling to their opposition
in a closely contested affair by a score
of 0-3.
Looking ahead, the Dons will go on a twogame
road trip against the BYU Cougars and the
USD Toreros.
SPORTS