Following 6,914 submitted ballots, Kenyon announced its new moniker will be the Owls.
The name Owls is inspired by the Kokosing River, a beloved feature of its campus. Kokosing loosely translates to “River of Little Owls” – a tribute to the many species of owls living in the area. A school release said, “Like Kenyon athletes, owls are intelligent, perceptive and fierce. We have, in our Kenyon way, been singing their praises for years in Kokosing Farewell.”
Looking back on the process
In response to calls from students as Kenyon nears its bicentennial, President Sean Decatur announced in February a process to consider a new moniker. The institution received nearly 2,000 responses with 200 unique suggestions. A subcommittee of Campus Senate evaluated each submission, deciding which five to advance for ranked-choice voting. All members of the campus community as well as alumni were invited to vote on emailed ballots with the finalists in random order. The subcommittee received 6,914 ballots.
A college release said, “Anyone who passes through the Lowry Center doors, let alone the college gates, should feel confident and comfortable with the monikers we use to represent ourselves. It is our job as community members to help give the best Kenyon experience to every student we can. Anything less would be antithetical to our values.”
Historically, for a time, Kenyon teams were the Pioneers, and before Ladies caught on in the 1970s, Lordettes was occasionally used for the women’s teams. The history of monikers at Kenyon – names, not mascots – goes back to the Mauve in the 1880s. Mauve was Kenyon’s official color until the 1920s. In the 1930s, with a color change, they were often called the “Purple,” or the “Purple and White.”
In 1936, the first use of “Lords” was used in regard to a football game vs. Alfred Holbrook College. They were often the “Fighting Lords” in the 1940s, but Kenyon's debuting lacrosse team of 1940 was dubbed “Pioneers.”
In 1973, a Collegian article refers to the Kenyon’s women’s lacrosse team members as the “Lordettes,” but the “Ladies” is taken up instead.
Now, Kenyon College is officially the Owls.
