|
USC Beaufort's new mascot should take a bite out of the competition.
The campus unveiled the new logo for its Sand Sharks in January. The Sand Sharks mascot is unique among higher education institutions in the United States. One university in Florida uses the Sharks as its mascot, but USC Beaufort will be the nation's first university to use the Sand Sharks as its mascot. The logo's colors are navy blue, sand, and garnet.
"This really sets the stage for our program," said Kim Abbott, director of athletics at USC Beaufort.
The search for a new mascot began about a year ago. The Sand Sharks was chosen based on input from 282 online poll participants, 63 focus group members, and more than 60 committee and subcommittee members.
The selection process was guided by three criteria: strong for athletics (tough, proud, and aggressive); representative of USC Beaufort's ties to the Lowcountry; and symbolic of the campus' new identity as a baccalaureate institution that will serve the campus well locally, regionally, and nationally.
After conducting an online survey and hosting numerous mascot steering committee meetings, the University of South Carolina Beaufort has announced that the new university mascot will be the Sand Sharks. The official colors will be navy blue, sand, and garnet.
The new mascot and colors will serve as symbols of pride, spirit, and identity for USC Beaufort's new intercollegiate athletics program and for the University as a whole.
The senior class at USC Beaufort is raising funds for a class gift. The class is attempting to adopt a sand shark from the S.C. Aquarium in Charleston. For more information, contact gift adviser M.J. Luby at luby@gwm.sc.edu or at 843-208-8257.
Sand Sharks merchandise is available at the school bookstore at either the South Campus in Bluffton (approximately six and a half miles off Interstate 95 on S.C. 278) or at the North Campus in Beaufort (near the intersection where Boundary Street becomes Carteret Street).
The sand shark consists of several different species of the genus Odontaspis or Carcharias. Sand sharks are typically found in shallow water, usually at or near the bottom, along tropical and temperate ocean coastlines. Known for their voracious appetite, sand sharks eat a wide range of fish as well as lobster, crab, and squid. They can grow up to 10 feet long. The bigger sand sharks often are found south of North Carolina. There have been no reports of a sand shark attacking a person.
2/08
|
