The Student Organization Council announced on Monday, Nov. 3, that Cosmos will replace the Renegades as the college’s mascot, marking the end of a nearly 20-year run for the fiery phoenix that represented Columbia’s club and intramural sports.

Ana Lara, president of SOC, said that it felt fitting to introduce a new mascot in light of Columbia’s recent changes. 

“We are using the next semester as a transition between the Renegades and the Cosmos, so we will use that time to design it and distribute any necessary resources to the organizations that used the Renegades for their branding, namely, athletic organizations,” Lara said. 

The Renegades became Columbia’s sports mascot shortly after the Student Athletic Association was founded in 2005. The mascot served as the identity for intramural and club sports teams on campus for over two decades. The SAA merged with SOC at the start of Fall 2024, consolidating student leadership over clubs, sports and campus events.

The push to redefine Columbia’s mascot isn’t new. The Renegades previously underwent a rebranding in 2018 when leaders from the Student Athletic Association invited submissions for a new logo and name. That campaign led to the phoenix logo in an effort to give the college’s sports teams a more visible and unified identity.

Cosmos does not yet have a character, but Lara said that is the next step.

At the Manifest Arts Festival last year, organizers introduced a dancing star named Manny. Manny was a hit.

“After seeing how popular Manny was at Manifest last year, I’ve heard from students wanting a character, physical mascot, so we’re definitely keeping that in mind for our next steps,” said Lara, the SOC president. “I think it would be a fun way to engage the student body.”

The idea to replace the Renegades resurfaced last spring when SOC began gathering student input on whether Columbia needed a mascot that better reflected its identity. At the time, SOC leaders said the Renegades had never fully caught on with students and that a new mascot could help build community and school spirit, as previously reported by the Chronicle.

Cosmos was chosen after months of student input, open submissions and a campuswide student vote earlier this semester. SOC Vice President Brady Charles emailed students with the link to vote, encouraging a new mascot that would “hopefully have a larger presence on campus and create a sense of community and school spirit at Columbia.”

It’s not unusual for a college or university to change its mascot or to involve students in the process, although it often involves campus leaders and is centered around the institution’s branding strategy. 

Smith College retired its Pioneers name after students raised concerns about colonialist associations. North Greenville University introduced the Trailblazers with input from students and alumni to honor its history while updating its brand. Students at the University of Illinois adopted an unofficial mascot, the Kingfisher. The school has been without a mascot since it retired Chief Illiniwek in 2007.

Pedro Escobar, a first-year fine arts major, said that while he didn’t know the Renegades were Columbia’s mascot, Cosmos seemed like a better fit.

“With that name, you can say something like, ‘Here at the Cosmos, we like to shoot for the stars,’ a funny quote like that,” Escobar said.

Jamey Rabon, a senior creative writing major, said they had to pause a moment when learning that Cosmos was chosen.

“It took a second for me to register. Because I immediately associate cosmos with the drink and it being a dry campus, I find it very, very funny that we’re called the Cosmos now,” Rabon said.

While completing the survey, Rabon suggested The Chameleons as an alternative, saying it represented how well Columbia students adapt to their creative and professional environments.

“I think we can adapt, and we change colors, and we’re a bit awkward. We’re fun little characters. We got our eye on everything at once,” they said.

Rabon also questioned what the change means for the future of Columbia’s sports teams, which lost their practice space at East-West University in Fall 2024, as the Chronicle previously reported.

But after an outcry, like the phoenix that represented them, the Renegades returned to East-West when the college negotiated a new contract under the leadership of interim President and CEO Jerry Tarrer.

“Rest in peace, Renegades,” Rabon said.

Sam Carlson, a 2025 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in radio, said he learned of the change through the SOC’s Instagram post. While he said the new mascot was “cool,” he expressed confusion over both the sudden change and the purpose of having a mascot at a school that competes only in intramural sports.

“I do feel some minor confusion over why the previous mascot used for our club sports seems to have been tossed aside,” Carlson said. “Furthermore, as a college that competes intramural rather than intercollegiate, I am confused as to why we need a mascot. It’s cool to have something to call ourselves, but a big ‘why?’ hangs overhead.”

El Carrel, a senior illustration major, said Cosmos fits better with the branding and marketing of events at Columbia compared to Renegades.

“It ties in really well with Manifest’s theme being a star. I am happy with it, but I feel like ‘The Stars’ might have been an even better choice, as it would have tied in with Manifest and reassured Columbia students that we are already shining stars in our creative fields,” Carrel said. “However, I feel that Cosmos seems like a decent compromise.”

Additional reporting by Marina Bradley, Julia Martinez Arroyo, Uriel Reyes and Lilly Sundsbak

Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco