The Associated Students of Cerritos College have approved getting a school mascot after getting passed through cabinet and senate.
Michael Timoney, the president of General Improvisational Peep Show Club, had presentations for both bodies and was the driving force behind getting a mascot on campus.
“You see all these great community colleges, great universities and they all have that one mascot that everybody knows,” Timoney said. “You represent the school and everything that it is all about.”
ASCC vice president Aldemar Sanchez agrees with Timoney and feels that there is a lot to be desired when it comes to school events.
“He’s right,” Sanchez said. “A lot of our sports events and stuff like that aren’t so involved or enthusiastic because we don’t have a mascot.”
The mascot suit comes with a price of $10,000, but the price will be split from when the order is first placed and when the suit is finished.
Sanchez sees the price as a big deal, but is not scared by the price tag.
“I’ve heard worse. $10,000 for a nice mascot uniform like that is really cheap,” Sanchez said. “I think that we should go for it, but it would need to be approved for it.”
Jony Nader, the commissioner for fine arts and convocations, feels that a mascot on campus can help break the isolationist idea of the students.
“Everybody goes to their department and they just stick there,” Nader said. “They don’t really expand out or try new clubs. Our clubs are very small in comparison to the whole scope of the school.”
While a person to man the mascot has not been chosen, Timoney feels that he is more than capable for the job because of his experience with the Los Angeles Kings.
“I have a lot of skit ideas that would be good and that can be used with our film department,” he said. “Show those at senior preview day. It’s another way to get information out there about Cerritos College.”
He is also attracted by the energy and the mystique that comes along with being behind the mask of a mascot.
“When I first joined the Los Angeles Kings and saw how much fun the mascot had, I thought that it was a cool job,” Timoney said. “Nobody knows who that is and yet everybody loves him.”
The mascot suit plans to make its debut on campus during the fall semester.
