bhyphen

So every few years WVU picks a new person to be the Mountaineer mascot. And normally it's a guy.

This year it's a girl. And a bunch of douches at WVU are giving her a hard time about it.

Personally I don't care. I'm sure she's able to do the job as well as any man that's been the mascot before her. And she's not the first girl mascot anyway.

But reading articles like this makes me forget we live in 2009. Let her be the Mountaineer people. She's obviously better than you at it.

Rebecca Durst officially started as West Virginia University’s new Mountaineer when she fired the rifle at the Gold-Blue Spring Football Game at Milan Puskar Stadium Saturday.

But some students and fans are still taking shots at her role in a traditionally male position.

The Facebook group “WVU students against beardless mountaineers” has gained more than 1,800 members, and new groups such as “If Rebecca Durst can grow and maintain a full beard, I’ll fully support her” and “Screw you Rebecca Durst” currently have between 20 and 40 members.

“I just think that other schools will make fun of us for having a girl mascot,” said Todd Gutta, a sophomore pre-political science major and member of one of the Facebook groups.

Gutta believes the Mountaineer should have a beard. He added that rival schools like the University of Pittsburgh will definitely make fun of a female Mountaineer.

Mike Baldy, a sophomore, pre-physical education major and Facebook group member, said that he doesn’t like having a female Mountaineer and would rather have both a male and female mascot.

“Last time we had a girl, it didn’t go well,” Baldy said.

When Natalie Tennant was Mountaineer, she was booed and chided for her sex.

Now, she is West Virginia’s Secretary of the State.

Senior Industrial Engineering major and Facebook group member, Brian Combs, said that the Mountaineer mascot is a male position.

He pointed out that all of the emblems portray a male Mountaineer and that it’s traditionally been a male.

Combs said although he was initially upset, he has since warmed to the idea.

“She did the push-ups and everything (at the Gold-Blue Spring Game), and I was impressed,” Combs said.

Durst said that her first event at the Gold-Blue game was amazing and that she was impressed with the fans.

Durst said that she has heard of the criticism directed at her, but she just chooses not to listen.

“I don’t let anything on (Facebook) affect me. People are entitled to their opinions, and if they want to express that on Facebook they can,” Durst said.

But other Facebook groups stand behind Durst, such as “As Long As That Musket Fires, And Fires Often...” and “I Fully Support Rebecca Durst as the New Mountaineer,” which has over 1,700 members.

Other schools within the National Collegiate Athletic Association have had females filling a role traditionally held by a male.

Linda Gooch, spirit program coordinator for the University of Central Florida said that although its mascot is a masked costume of a male knight, they have had females in the costume.

About nine years ago the University had a female companion for the mascot but cut it due to costs.

“We’ve had several very qualified girls in costume,” Gooch said.

In the past 10 years they’ve had at least two female mascots, she said.

But unlike WVU, UCF does not reveal who the mascot is to the student body.

The University of Southern California is known for the Trojan, a traditionally male role.

Rachel Canton, student Assistant in the sports information department, said that the University does not have an official mascot and that the man on the horse is only there for football games and is not a student.

Constance Toffle, a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology, said that the criticism aimed at Durst is ridiculous and that the mascot shouldn’t depend on sex and gender.

Sexism exists because of a lack of knowledge and understanding and works much like stereotypes, Toffle said.

Oftentimes people are not sure what they are criticizing but just feel an anxiety or fear that things will change, she added.

“If people want things to stay the same, they use terms that are derogatory and try not to have them change,” Toffle said. “It’s taking away the ability to be a total person.”