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Some mascots are symbols of power and prowess, like the USC Trojan or the LSU Tiger. And, um, some aren’t. Going instead for cuteness or humor has left some schools with less-than-cool mascots. These mascots provide comic relief (Isn’t that what drunk, fat guys are for?), but I pity the football team that has to march out onto the field behind one of these. You would almost have to be extra fierce to make up for a big dorky toadstool or a rainbow colored whatchamacallit. If you ask me, lame mascots really get your team off on the wrong foot in the intimidation department.

Some glaring examples of lame mascots appear below. I hereby petition, in the interest of the sports teams that must be represented by these sorry ambassadors, that these mascots be removed and replaced by something cool. The five lamest college mascots are:

1. The Evergreen State College Geoduck - A geoduck is a mollusk with a bizarre tube protruding from its shell to propel it through the water. The geoduck, although the longest living mollusk in the world, is seriously lacking in the intimidation department. The costumed geoduck used at sporting events is no improvement on the boring creature.

2. The Ohio State Buckeye - A buckeye is a kind of nut. That’s right, a nut. True, it’s a tough nut to crack, but it’s still just a nut. Their costumed mascot is a hearty-looking fellow with a buckeye nut head- it looks like someone wearing one of those dog attack suits.

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3. The Stanford Tree - Christmas trees may say alot of things, like ‘love’, ‘family,’ ‘the holidays’, and so on. But one thing they don’t say is, "Prepare for hell, you miserable cretins. Today you meet your maker!" The crooked eyes and loopy red lips don’t help either.

4. The Syracuse Orange - See all of the reasons in number 2.

5. The Saint Louis Billiken - If you’re wondering what a Billiken is, join the club. Billiken’s are an imaginary race of otherworldly creatures dreamed up, literally, by some lady. How they became a college mascot is beyond me. Can we expect to see Smurfs or TellyTubbies grace the sidelines? Heaven forbid.

The son of a successful scientist once asked his father which career he should choose. His father replied sagely, "What do you think about when you have nothing to think about? That’s what you should pursue." Too many people live a life postponed. Security, creature comforts, and image become so important that they rationalize themselves out of taking a chance on what they really love. With their heart in one place and their head in another, they are only half as effective or excellent as they could be.

Today’s message is simple: don’t procrastinate doing what you love. It may seem risky in the short-term, but it will reap benefits material and emotional in the long run. Do what you love, and you can’t help but soar.

College just doesn’t mean what it used to. One need only look to the recent drug bust at San Diego State to see this point driven home. Forget about discipline, higher learning, and character- college has become a big party. Colleges put students through rigorous admission processes only to let them run rampant once they get there. The result: a college diploma- especially one from San Diego State- doesn’t stand for anything.

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	Kaplan University University of Pheonix Penn Foster Career School Ashworth University AIU University Ellis College