Tony GorderEditor-in-chief

It’s official. His name is Jack the Jackrabbit.

The mascot’s name was officially revealed Nov. 12 at the Jackrabbit Birthday Bash. To celebrate Jack’s 105th birthday, cake was served and there were photo opportunities with the birthday mascot himself.

Nearly 4,000 votes were cast in the Nameless No More contest, and Jack received 35.2 percent of the vote, winning the plurality and beating the names Dakota, Jack, JR, Jax, Stater and Briggs.

“I’m glad it’s now officially Jack,” said Matt Fuks, president of the SDSU Alumni Association, the organization that sponsored the contest. “We weren’t surprised. We expected it to be that way.”

Students weren’t surprised either. Many thought the name of the mascot was already Jack.

“I was surprised when I heard there was a contest. I couldn’t think of any other name it would be,” said Joel Ostraat, a senior computer science major. “I thought, “people are going to see [news of the naming announcement] online and laugh.'”

“I would have been disappointed if it had been anything but Jack,” said Cortney Wohkman, a sophomore nursing student.

“I don’t think [the contest] was necessary,” said 1996 alumnus Scott Waltman, who thought the mascot had a name.

Jacob Kaufman, a freshman math education major said he thought the purpose of a mascot is to support SDSU sports teams, regardless of what the name is.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what the name was [to me],” Kaufman said.

Becca Baustian said she “chuckled a little bit” when she first heard about the naming contest. She said her parents, both 1978 SDSU alumni, thought the mascot’s name was Jack.

“I didn’t see what the point of the contest was,” Baustian said.

Fuks said the name of the mascot may not be as obvious as some think.

“Although it might be clear to one group, it might not be clear to another,” Fuks said. “Over the years, there have been lots of assumptions about what his name has been.”

Fuks said that not long ago, some thought the mascot’s name was Jack State, while, in the 80s, Fuks said many just called him “the rabbit.”

“Who’s to say that 5-10 years from now they would have thought his name was something else?” Fuks said, adding that giving him an official name decided by voters was a historic opportunity.

“Really, at the end of the day, it was only right to let everyone have a say in it,” Fuks said. “Letting the stakeholders decide it only leads to greater legitimacy.”

The announcement was preceded by nearly a month long voting contest. Students, alumni and other SDSU stakeholders submitted 883 name suggestions between Oct. 4 and 17. From there, a committee comprised of students, alumni, faculty, university officials and members of the Brookings community selected the six final names that anyone could vote for online. Voting took place between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31.

#1.1782235:1684810819.png:Jack-the-Jackrabbit-Brigitte-Norby.png:Kate Wegehaupt, SA administrative assistant, celebrated Nov. 12 with Jack the Jackrabbit during his 105th birthday party. It was the culminating event to the Nameless No More campaign.:Collegian Photo by Brigitte Norby