Opinion: Lewis & Clark nickname change to River Otters is a unnecessary culture wars overreaction
When I was a senior at Lewis & Clark College 50 years ago a friend and I ran the first down chains for home football games. As I recall, pay was $10 per game. We almost certainly were overpaid. Then again, we were among the few L&C students not on the team who cared much about the school’s football games. Or even knew that they were taking place. Autumn afternoons in the Pacific Northwest trend toward warm and sunny. There was plenty to do besides sitting to watch a team playing at the lowest level of intercollegiate athletics. There were plenty of seats to be had in Griswold Stadium. All objective evidence suggests this remains the case. I don’t think anyone has a problem with this. Few students choose to go to L&C because of the athletic program. There are more important reasons. This is a liberal arts school with an impressive student-to-faculty ratio. The professors are there primarily to teach and engage with their students, and not to turn the heavy lifting over teaching assistants while they pursue research. L&C was among the first institutions of higher education in the nation to feature and encourage overseas study programs. The law school is recognized annually as one of the best in the country for environmental law. The campus atop Palatine Hill in Southwest Portland annually is ranked as one of the most beautiful in the country. All of which makes the school’s decision to wade into the culture wars by changing the name of its nickname -- or mascot -- perplexing. L&C athletic teams have been known as the Pioneers, sometimes shortened to Pios, since 1946. Henceforth, they will be called the River Otters. River otters are cuddly, near-sighted members of the weasel family. The reason for the change? Pioneers are seen as evocative of the westward expansion across North America by people of European heritage. This is a narrow interpretation of a word that Merriam-Webster says can be defined as “a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method of technical development.” In other words, exactly what should be happening on college campuses, even the one on Palatine Hill. The school will tell you the decision came as the result of a survey of the campus community – students, staff, faculty and alumni – and after nearly 40 community dialogues. As a participant in a small, community dialogue session in 2023 that also included L&C president Robin Holmes-Sullivan, it became clear to me that this part of the process was window dressing. The decision to drop the Pioneers nickname already had been made. Less than half of the students responded to the community mascot survey, which more than anything underscores the perception the school’s nickname isn’t a burning issue on campus. So, why make it one? Let’s be clear. White, westward expansion was a disaster for the native peoples in its path. This is documented and undebatable. When Pioneers are defined as white men in buckskins, well, that is a problem. So, why define it that way? There are multiple generations of living L&C athletes who competed proudly under the Merriam-Webster definition of Pioneers as leaders in thought and methodology. They have taken lessons learned on playing fields, courts and in the water and applied them to post-collegiate success in a wide variety of professional fields. They didn’t come to L&C solely for athletics, but because the school offered them opportunities to pursue academic excellence while also participating in college sports. Colin Oriard, inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2023, took part of one year away from the basketball program to study in Spain. Try that at the Division I level. When I was at L&C, the student body president played on the offensive line. It’s not a good moment for higher education in this country. Small, liberal arts schools that expect their students to think critically and embrace a diversified college experience are being squeezed by the skyrocketing cost of attendance, a shrinking pool of applicants and a hostile administration in Washington D.C. In other words, this is the worst possible time to create a social justice controversy when there hadn’t been one before. Last summer, I received an email from the L&C Board of Alumni asking me to participate in a survey about why alumni giving is down. It was a slap-the-forehead moment. Talk about cause and effect. Transforming the Pioneers into cuddly, nearsighted River Otters contributed to that problem. That change won’t solve it. -- Ken Goe for The Oregonian/OregonLiveKenGoe1020@gmail.com Goe is a 1976 graduate of Lewis & Clark, and member of the L&C Sports Hall of Fame If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Lewis & Clark recently changed its school nickname from Pioneers to River Otters.
When I was a senior at Lewis & Clark College 50 years ago a friend and I ran the first down chains for home football games.
As I recall, pay was $10 per game. We almost certainly were overpaid.
Then again, we were among the few L&C students not on the team who cared much about the school’s football games. Or even knew that they were taking place.
Autumn afternoons in the Pacific Northwest trend toward warm and sunny. There was plenty to do besides sitting to watch a team playing at the lowest level of intercollegiate athletics. There were plenty of seats to be had in Griswold Stadium.
All objective evidence suggests this remains the case. I don’t think anyone has a problem with this.
Few students choose to go to L&C because of the athletic program. There are more important reasons. This is a liberal arts school with an impressive student-to-faculty ratio. The professors are there primarily to teach and engage with their students, and not to turn the heavy lifting over teaching assistants while they pursue research.
L&C was among the first institutions of higher education in the nation to feature and encourage overseas study programs. The law school is recognized annually as one of the best in the country for environmental law. The campus atop Palatine Hill in Southwest Portland annually is ranked as one of the most beautiful in the country.
All of which makes the school’s decision to wade into the culture wars by changing the name of its nickname -- or mascot -- perplexing.
L&C athletic teams have been known as the Pioneers, sometimes shortened to Pios, since 1946. Henceforth, they will be called the River Otters. River otters are cuddly, near-sighted members of the weasel family.
The reason for the change? Pioneers are seen as evocative of the westward expansion across North America by people of European heritage.
This is a narrow interpretation of a word that Merriam-Webster says can be defined as “a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method of technical development.” In other words, exactly what should be happening on college campuses, even the one on Palatine Hill.
The school will tell you the decision came as the result of a survey of the campus community – students, staff, faculty and alumni – and after nearly 40 community dialogues.
As a participant in a small, community dialogue session in 2023 that also included L&C president Robin Holmes-Sullivan, it became clear to me that this part of the process was window dressing. The decision to drop the Pioneers nickname already had been made.
Less than half of the students responded to the community mascot survey, which more than anything underscores the perception the school’s nickname isn’t a burning issue on campus. So, why make it one?
Let’s be clear. White, westward expansion was a disaster for the native peoples in its path. This is documented and undebatable. When Pioneers are defined as white men in buckskins, well, that is a problem. So, why define it that way?
There are multiple generations of living L&C athletes who competed proudly under the Merriam-Webster definition of Pioneers as leaders in thought and methodology. They have taken lessons learned on playing fields, courts and in the water and applied them to post-collegiate success in a wide variety of professional fields.
They didn’t come to L&C solely for athletics, but because the school offered them opportunities to pursue academic excellence while also participating in college sports.
Colin Oriard, inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2023, took part of one year away from the basketball program to study in Spain. Try that at the Division I level. When I was at L&C, the student body president played on the offensive line.
It’s not a good moment for higher education in this country. Small, liberal arts schools that expect their students to think critically and embrace a diversified college experience are being squeezed by the skyrocketing cost of attendance, a shrinking pool of applicants and a hostile administration in Washington D.C.
In other words, this is the worst possible time to create a social justice controversy when there hadn’t been one before.
Last summer, I received an email from the L&C Board of Alumni asking me to participate in a survey about why alumni giving is down. It was a slap-the-forehead moment. Talk about cause and effect.
Transforming the Pioneers into cuddly, nearsighted River Otters contributed to that problem. That change won’t solve it.
-- Ken Goe for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Goe is a 1976 graduate of Lewis & Clark, and member of the L&C Sports Hall of Fame
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.