Charlie the Charger is getting a new look.
The current costume has been around for about five years, and some students think it is in desperate need of updating. The proposed replacement is expected to have a 10-year life-span and will still be a horse.
The mascot will be made with soft, flexible foam and a helmet which includes a battery operated fan.
The Student Federation voted to allocate $2,000 toward the new suit. The entire cost for the mascot is $5,000. Additional funding will come from the Spirit Club and the dean’s office.
The mascot should arrive in six weeks, in time for the start of the basketball season.
Tryouts for student-mascots will be held Thursday, Sept. 27, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 28, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Student Activities Office. Sophomore Aaron Maruna, director of men’s residence life, said he would prefer a student with experience in gymnastics who has a lively personality. Specifically someone who could do flips and cartwheels to entertain spectators and encourage school spirit.
In order to make the commitment less daunting they are looking for two or three different students to put on rotation. The mascot will attend all home football, basketball, and volleyball games.
Junior Carl Vennerstrom, who occasionally wears the costume at sporting events, said the fan in the current suit is broken, making it hot and uncomfortable. He is in support of the new costume.
“If it has a fan then that’s great,” he said.
The new mascot is considerably more muscular looking than the previous one. Maruna said that Hillsdale College needs a “jacked mascot.”
“Things always turn out better when you throw on hundreds of pounds of muscle,” Maruna said. “At least we can make [the mascot] look good if nothing else.”
Some students are not as enthusiastic about the new costume.
“The old mascot is fine and spending $2,000 on a new one would be a waste,” sophomore David Raney said.
Student Federation Representative Spencer Amaral disagrees, saying that spending the money is well worth it.
“Student Federation has the funding for the mascot, and there are not many other things that would so clearly benefit the entire student body,” Amaral said.
Andrew Reuss, sophomore resident assistant in Simpson Residence and a Student Federation representative, said he is very excited about the new costume.
“I would compare [life before the new mascot] to a small seal being beat up, but now, it is like Godzilla rising up and destroying Tokyo.”