The athletic department will not discipline the student who wore an ASUO campaign T-shirt over the department’s mascot costume while campaigning April 1.
Candidates on the Oregon Action Team slate told students while the mascot was campaigning that the duck supported their proposal to increase the number of football tickets available to students next year, but a spokesman for the athletic department said that claim was inaccurate.
“The mascot does not have any political views,” athletic department spokesman Greg Walker said.
Walker said no disciplinary action will be taken against the student who wore the costume, despite having made clear that, under the department’s policy, “The Duck mascot is not allowed to participate in commercial or political activities.”
Walker said the student who wore the costume did not have a disciplinary record that justified action being taken against him. Oregon Action Team vice presidential candidate Ted Sebastian said the student was a friend of Andrew Robb, one of the slate’s candidates for the Student Recreation Center Advisory Board.
The slate also used a picture of the mascot as the banner of its Web site until Monday. Walker said the athletic department told the slate to remove the image, which has been replaced by a picture of Sebastian and the slate’s presidential candidate Michelle Haley.
The athletic department guards the identities of the students who wear the mascot costume. Walker declined to outline types of behavior that would result in consequences for the mascot.
“He’s sorry he caused any trouble,” Walker said.
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