Capital University announces its new nickname, mascot
Say goodbye to the Capital University Crusaders, and say hello to the Capital Comets.
Capital announced its new nickname and mascot Thursday afternoon after a months-long process to replace the school’s old mascot — Cappy the Crusader, which was deemed outdated after years of pushback from students and alumni.
A mascot committee collected ideas for new mascots over a several-month period, ending in March. More that 800 members of the “Cap Fam” submitted 1,544 ideas for a new mascot.
The committee narrowed its options to four and opened the final selection up to a vote, which ended in June. The finalists were: the Comets, the Wolves, the Hawks and Capital United. More than 4,500 votes were tallied. Ultimately, the Comets prevailed. “As the oldest university in central Ohio, the logo pays homage to the capital city where our campuses reside,” the private university said in a news release announcing its new mascot.
The two stars represent the university’s Bexley and Downtown locations, and the double “C” symbolizes its new identity as the Capital Comets.
“Like the brilliant comets found in our solar system, the Comet symbol will remind us of the opportunities we have to shine, blaze new trails, discover our potential and move forward in confidence,” the university said.
The private liberal arts university will maintain its current purple and white colors.
In July, Capital’s board of trustees approved a resolution to change the university’s nickname and mascot following “a 15-month process of study, discussion and reflection,” according to a release at the time.
“We believe that the University nickname and mascot should be a unifying symbol that enhances school spirit and pride for all who are affiliated with Capital,” the release said. “In recent years, our nickname has been challenged by students and faculty for its connection to the historic Crusades. The detailed study found a significant portion of the Capital Family shares this perspective.”
The university said it recognized that some alumni have fond memories associated with Crusaders and Cappy, and that it was a difficult decision for which to come.
Some Cap Fam alumni are less than thrilled with the new name.
A contingent of Capital alums and current undergrads had been pushing a write-in candidate for consideration: the Capital Capybaras, a nod to the world’s largest species of rodent. A change.com petition circulated earlier this year to add the Capybaras to the list of finalists.
The group said the four finalists were “unoriginal, overused and indistinct” options; they wanted something that would make Capital stand out among other liberal arts schools.
According to the petition, there are 59 colleges and universities nationwide who use the hawk as their mascot, five schools who use the comets and 19 schools who use the wolves.
“This is not to mention the professional sports teams whose long shadows and supporter groups greatly outnumber a smaller university like Capital,” the petition said. “Zero U.S. colleges and universities currently use the capybara as their mascot.” shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120