It’s time to cast a vote for your ACC mascot choice! The Austin Community College District revealed the four finalists on Monday. They are:
• Bbhoggawact: A 100% original choice, Bbhoggawacts embrace the “Keep Austin Weird” theme and brings together ACC’s entire 7,000-square-mile service area. Cross out the vowels and you have (B)astrop, (B)lanco, (H)ays, (G)illespie, (G)onzales, (W)illiamson, (C)aldwell, and (T)ravis Counties. A Bbhoggawact is a made-up character that can be defined by the community.
• Blazers: ACC and its students are blazing new trails in a variety of ways, from individual accomplishments to the development of cutting-edge workforce training that helps Central Texas prosper. Blazers are innovators who seek new opportunities and pave the way for those who follow.
• River Bats: Bats are synonymous with Central Texas and so is ACC. They are unique, intelligent, resourceful, and provide important services to the community. Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. The largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats makes its home in Austin. At night they fill the skies, crisscrossing the region.
• Starblazers: A starblazer is a unique symbol representing success and discovery. The star is featured in the ACC logo and has long been tied to ACC. This choice acknowledges the college’s past while also looking to the future. It symbolizes the vibrancy, brilliance, and ambitious spirit of the students and region ACC serves.
Students, employees, alumni, and the entire community are invited to vote for their favorite on the mascot search webpage (austincc.edu/mascot). Mascot Madness voting continues through April 2 (one vote per person). The top vote-getter will be submitted to the administration for final approval, and then the new mascot will be announced.
“Having a mascot builds a college-going culture and ties together all the communities ACC serves,” said Brette Lea, co-chair of the search committee and executive director of Public Information and College Marketing. “We want to increase higher education participation rates throughout the eight-county service area and help our students succeed, and a mascot can enhance the sense of college engagement that is so important to meeting those goals-starting at a young age.”
This summer, the college will get community input on the design of the winning mascot, with the big reveal scheduled for fall. Since ACC wants the public to weigh in on the mascot’s look, there are no mock-ups or artwork currently available.
ACC received hundreds of mascot suggestions last fall, and a rigorous research/focus group process followed. The mascot search committee narrowed it down to the final four.
Visit www.austincc.edu and vote.