Last month, SNHU distributed emails to all on-campus and online students asking them to fill out surveys to gain a student perspective on the university. The surveys asked students a variety of questions regarding the overall image of the school.
A major portion of the questions focused on the school’s mascot, Petey the Penmen. Questions included how students feel when they see the mascot, what their first impression of the mascot was and whether they feel proud to represent a school that has a Penman as its mascot.
Most reviews of Petey were negative. People reported that Petey is scary and unusual, and that they don’t feel comfortable at sporting events when Petey is present. Some people even went as far to say they’ve heard children crying out of fear when Petey is near.
These rejecting results ignited the SNHU Marketing Team to reconsider the mascot.
The Marketing Team discussed mascot ideas during a thought-provoking meeting on March 18 at SNHU’s Elm Street offices. After considering dozens of potential mascots, including a cherry, a broomstick and a pineapple pizza, the team settled on a mascot they feel best represents the school.
Chair of the Marketing Team, Dr. Pat Spirou, made the official announcement yesterday.
Starting Fall 2020, SNHU will be home to the Tissues.
“People are obviously unhappy with Petey,” stated Spirou. “So instead, we decided to go in a new direction. A tissue is comforting and, like us, always there when you need it.”
Not only is a tissue comforting, it cleans up mistakes and that’s a quality Spirou stressed during the meeting.
“If a student is having a bad day, they know they can count on any faculty member for support, which is much like using a tissue to wipe spilled milk to make everything better again,” Spirou said.
Comfort and support weren’t the only reasons a tissue was chosen. Spirou said the most prominent reason why the tissue was chosen was because it “just sounds right.”
“When people say ‘SNHU,’ they sound like they’re sneezing,” Spirou said. “And what do people do when they sneeze? They grab a tissue.
“Everyone says ‘SNHU’ instead of spelling it out as ‘S.N.H.U.,’” she added. “And when they say that, I think they just finished a sneeze. You know, like ‘AHH-SNHU!’ So, logically speaking, it makes sense for a tissue to represent us.”
Spirou stated that SNHU will start re-branding next semester to gear up for the introduction of ‘Tiffy the Tissue” in Fall 2020. Tiffy will be seen as a happy, dancing tissue that will bring smiles to students and faculty and will appear at sporting events and campus functions. Tiffy the Tissue is the new Petey and will have people saying, “I go to AHH-SNHU!”
