It’s a reply that has plagued many of us since high school. Whenever you tell someone that you attend Syracuse University, they always, always come back with some weather-related response.  “Oh, I hope you like snow! Do you, like, ski? Does it totally snow, like all the time? Like, do you like even know what grass is?”

Now you can thank your deity of choice because this summer, the typical Syracuse conversation has shifted from precipitation to participation in weekend festivities.  It seems now as though the block “S” has become a sort of Hawthorne-ian “orange” letter, dooming those who wear it to be sucked into conversation regarding the Princeton Review’s ranking of SU as the top party school in the country.

In these first couple of weeks of the new school year, there are more than a few possible ways to “celebrate” ‘Cuse’s newfound notoriety.  I know what you’re thinking, but don’t go grab that 30-pack quite yet.

Understandably, some of the higher ups are worried that people may now associate SU with partying more than academics. The ranking, however, actually gives us an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. Students and the administration should use this information to establish a fresh new identity for the university, and what defines a school’s identity more than its mascot?

I’m starting to think that it’s time for a change.

Crazy idea, right? Good old Otto the Orange is so ingrained in the culture of the university that it’s almost blasphemous to suggest he be updated.  SU, however, is no stranger to changing mascots. In SU’s history, we’ve gone from goats to politically incorrect depictions of Native Americans to gladiators. Since 1980, we’ve been stuck with our current orange friend. I love Otto as much as the next guy, but the times are changing.

Orange has served us quite well for 124 years, but I firmly believe we need a color that students can better identify with: a vibrant shade of red. Ask any college-age kid what they associate with being bright red, and they’re bound to say a Solo-brand party cup.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our new mascot, Y.O.L.O. the Solo Cup. It’s basically our treasured Otto, but thanks to the wonders of modern science and Photoshop, hisbody has changed from that of a furry fruit — something I never quite understood — to a sleek, modern, plastic party cup, a symbol of beer-swilling collegians the world over.

Think about it. What connections do Otto and the color orange really have to our school?  According to the SU Archives, orange was chosen by class of 1890 because it was better at making “whoopee” than the previous colors: rose pink and azure blue.

The marketing opportunities that come along with adopting Y.O.L.O. are endless.  Who wouldn’t want to go to a Syracuse Y.O.L.O.’s game? The Carrier Dome could be renamed “Castle Court” in reverence to the now defunct mecca for freshmen who couldn’t find anywhere else to drown their sorrows. During halftime, one lucky fan would get the opportunity to sit in a recliner and try to throw a giant Ping-Pong ball into the mascot’s head.  The University Union could get Drake to play “The Motto” at Juice Jam.  That’s just the tip of the (Smirnoff) iceberg.

What’s more, a new mascot could serve as a reminder to most students of their singular opportunity at living. Like being alive, having the opportunity to attend such an awesome school is a luxury most of us can barely afford one time.  “Your parents can probably only afford to send you to college once,” or Y.P.C.P.O.A.T.S.Y.T.C.O. is a motto that the Y.O.L.O. generation should really take to heart. We get one chance at attending college, so it’s wise not to try and prove something to the Princeton Review every night.  So stay in school, kids, but have some fun while you’re at it.

Zach Schweikert is a sophomore advertising major. He has the mind of a 12 year-old girl.  He keeps it in a jar under his bed.  His column appears every Thursday in Pulp.  He can be reached at zdschwei@syr.edu

Published on August 28, 2014 at 12:01 am