Colonel Reb Mascot
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Subject Matter:
Colonel Reb Mascot  (See Comments)

Original Filing:
Upon passage of this initiative, the Constitution of the State of Mississippi shall be amended to include and incorporate the following text: "Colonel Reb shall be the official and sole mascot of the University of Mississippi. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the University of Mississippi administration shall ensure that: (1) Colonel Reb, in his traditional costumed appearance, shall be visible as an active mascot on the sidelines of every University of Mississippi football and basketball game, in addition to other university athletic events according to precedent; (2) Colonel Reb, in his traditional logo appearance, shall be prominently included in every University of Mississippi logo, on every university athletic uniform and football helmet, on every university Internet page, on every university yearbook cover and title page, on every university letterhead, on every university newspaper front page, on every university catalogue and magazine cover, on every university promotional and recruitment publication cover, on every university video and video cover, and on every university diploma; (3) Colonel Reb, in his traditional costumed and logo appearances, shall be offered as a merchandise them for sale in all University of Mississippi merchandise sales venues; (4) Colonel Reb's traditional costumed and logo appearances shall be defined by, and shall accurately and entirely resemble in every feature and characteristic, his standard and classical appearance, as portrayed definitively on the cover of the 1947 University of Mississippi yearbook (the 1947 Ole Miss), with the only permissible variations to this appearance being that his trousers and his can may be either solid white, solid grey, or solid red, and that, in his logo appearance, he may either face towards the right with his cane on the left, or face towards the left with his cane on the right; (5) Colonel Reb shall be given by the University of Mississippi the full range of institutional rights and respect that are customarily attributed to time-honored mascots; and (6) The University of Mississippi student body shall continue its traditional of annually electing a male student to be honored with the title of Colonel Reb, and annually electing a female student to be honored with the title of Miss Ole Miss, who shall serve as the ceremonial host and hostess of annual Dixie Week festivities, which shall be arranged by the university's Associated Student Body to occur throughout one full week in the month of April." REVENUE STATEMENT: Implementation of this initiative shall not require any net increase in expenditures by the University of Mississippi or the State of Mississippi. Indeed, the required resumption of public and perpetual selling of Colonel Reb merchandise by the University of Mississippi will enable the university of resume its former profit therefrom. This initiative would not reduce government revenue, and this initiative would not reallocate government revenue or government funding. But, all public or university funds that have been allocated to facilitate a different University of Mississippi mascot or to assist the attempted mascot change shall be reallocated to fund the requirements of this initiative. The funding for the annual Dixie Week festivities shall come from the budget of the University of Mississippi Associated Student Body at the discretion of its voting members, from private donations, and from non-public contributions, such as local and participating businesses.

Proposed Ballot Title:
Should the Mississippi Constitution be amended to designate "Colonel Reb" as the official mascot of the University of Mississippi?

Proposed Ballot Summary:
Initiative #37 would amend the Mississippi Constitution to require "Colonel Reb", in his traditional costumed appearance, to be visible as an active mascot on the sidelines of University of Mississippi athletic events. "Colonel Reb" would be required to be included on every University of Mississippi logo, university athletic uniform and helmet, on every university internet page, on every university yearbook cover and title page, on every university letterhead, and on other specified university publications.

Initiative Petition:
Click here to view Initiative Petition

Sponsor:
Mr. Arthur Randallson
Address:
P.O. Box 488
Southaven, MS 38671


Status:
Expired

Town Meeting Location:
N/A

Initiative Information:
The official ballot title and ballot summary for an initiative measure are prepared by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. Initiative measures are valid for one year. During this one-year period, a petition may be circulated to place the measure on the next statewide general election ballot to allow the voters of Mississippi to determine whether the measure should become a part of the Mississippi Constitution. According to Mississippi law, for an initiative measure to be placed on the ballot, a minimum of 106,190 certified signatures must be gathered, with at least 21,238 certified signatures from each of the five congressional districts as they existed in the year 2000. This required number of signatures represents twelve percent (12%) of the total number of votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial general election. Signatures must be certified by county circuit clerks as belonging to registered voters in Mississippi. A completed petition should be filed with Secretary of State, together with a filing fee of $500.00. For more information on the initiative process in Mississippi, consult the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, Section 273, and Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 23-17-1 through 23-17-61 (1972).

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