Pomona students began petitioning for the change of mascot after the leprechaun manhunt that took place March 17 in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Students chased a leprechaun in the hopes of stealing his box of Lucky Charms and his pot of gold.

Pomona student and leprechaun, Robert Rawle ’08 instigated the manhunt activity to increase awareness about his unique fairy heritage.

“Everybody is always trying to catch me Lucky Charms at home,” he said. “But here, students get too busy with their schoolwork to appreciate this great sport. I wanted to help people enjoy the spirit of St. Patrick’s season and, of course, have a bit of fun meself. ”

Sara Berntoff ’09 was one of the many students who voted in favor of the Leprechaun as Pomona’s new mascot.

“Students really identify with this mascot because it embodies our Pomona College experience,” said Berntoff.

“We feel like we are chasing the end of a rainbow that we might not ever be able to find, which might not even exist, where a short red-haired man dressed in green tenaciously guards the gold we seek, which also might not exist.

“The leprechaun chase is completely analogous to college life at Pomona. It’s way more relevant than the sagehen.”

Some students, however, are not happy with the outcome of the vote.

“The leprechaun bases his life on Lucky Charms, but Pomona students know that the only way to succeed in life is through hard work,” said Rodney Chan ’07. “The leprechaun is the exact opposite of every college student.”

Alyssa Basilla ’10 argued that the leprechaun is inherently gender specific and thus an exclusive icon that is not appropriate for a multi-gendered college like Pomona.

“There is no female version of the leprechaun. Leprechauns are male by definition,” she said. “What, are they going to make women be leprechanesses? I don’t buy it.”

Vice President Gary Kates is strongly in favor of the mascot switch.

“Sagehens eventually die,” he said. “But, based on what we know about the world of magic and rainbows, leprechauns live forever. This mascot switch was the next obvious step in Pomona’s progression toward being a beacon for other liberal arts colleges.”

Kates assured students that Pomona will not have to share their new mascot with Notre Dame University’s Fighting Irish.

Pomona College has agreed to pay Notre Dame University $50 million in exchange for the rights to any and all images of short red-haired men dressed in green.

by O.J. Simpson