U of Miami Students Want Mascot to Vape Instead of Smoke Pipe

Students at the University of Miami want the school’s mascot to smoke a “Juul” vaporizer instead of a pipe, according to a new petition circulating on social media.

Students at the University of Miami have started a petition to change the design of the school’s mascot, which is a white ibis bird named Sebastion. Older depictions of Sebastian show him smoking a pipe. The students behind the petition want to update Sebastian to reflect the modern era by depicting him with a Juul vaporizer instead of a tobacco pipe.

The petition, which is titled “Make Sebastion JUUL,” features a mock-up of the redesigned logo. In the image, the mascot is puffing smoke out of a JUUL vaporizer instead of his traditional pipe.

“The University of Miami is a progressive institution that should reflect the changing cultural landscape that we live in today,” the petition reads. “We, the undersigned students of the University of Miami advocate the Board of Directors to let our school mascot, Sebastian the Ibis, hit the JUUL.”

“We deserve a mascot more representative of the student body and will fight for our representation!” one student wrote.

Alec Castillo, the student behind the petition, told a local news outlet that it’d be “dope” if Sebastian smoked a vaporizer. “That’d be so lame,” Castillo told the Miami New Times, referring to a redesign without any smoking device. “I would be so ashamed to go to a school with a mascot that’s just a bird. But a smoking bird? That’s dope.”

Castillo’s petition is a refreshing conversation when compared to recent efforts to kill politically incorrect mascots. In September, Breitbart News reported on Cal State Long Beach’s decision to kill their mascot, “Prospector Pete,” after community members argued that he was a symbol of racism and genocide.

“As our diversity grew and more voices were heard, we came to know that the 1849 California gold rush was a time in history when the indigenous peoples of California endured subjugation, violence and threats of genocide,” a university official said in a statement. “Today, the spirit of inclusivity is reflected in our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community. Today’s Beach is not connected to that era.”