Eutectic Introduced August 26

Dubious Distinction: Local College Mascot Ranked amongst the Nation's Worst

St. Louis College of Pharmacy will unveil the new, redesigned "Eutectic" on Aug. 26

ST. LOUIS – In this unique category of rankings, only one St. Louis-area college or university can brag about being in the top 10, nationally. Among the “Top 10 Worst Team Names” according to Time.com, is St. Louis College of Pharmacy’s Eutectic, which ranked No. 6.

“At least we’re not in the top five,” said Jill Jokerst, the College’s athletics director.

In the story, Time.com stated: “The St. Louis College of Pharmacy could choose any animal or character as their ‘Eutectics’ mascot, and apparently decided to go with a gremlin. The furry brown animal with angry yellow eyes looks like he could liquefy pretty much anything. Except maybe the competition.”

On Aug. 26 at 4 p.m., the College is unveiling a new, redesigned Eutectic. The real-life, six-foot Eutectic, which roams the sidelines during volleyball and basketball games, will be introduced to new and returning students. The redesign process began in January. Already, the College’s gymnasium wall has been repainted and the basketball court displays the new mascot, which hardly resembles a gremlin.

“What we have now is a modern day, exciting look,” Jokerst said. “It provides new direction for our program. The new mascot definitely has personality; it has intensity – but still looks playful and fun. Our athletes can relate to the new image more than that gremlin we used to have.”  

So, just what is a Eutectic? It describes the scientific process of two solids being combined to form a liquid. The name was chosen by students in 1993 when the College, which has five sports teams, joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

“Looking at the flip side, our mascot and program has been recognized nationally and that’s never bad thing,” Jokerst said. “It makes people say, ‘St. Louis College of Pharmacy has athletics.’”

Here is a link to the rankings: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1898998_1898997,00.html
 
About St. Louis College of Pharmacy: Founded in 1864, St. Louis College of Pharmacy is one of the oldest and largest colleges of pharmacy in America. The College admits students directly from high school and integrates the liberal arts and sciences with a six-year professional curriculum leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Approximately 1,200 students attend, and more than 72 percent of practicing pharmacists in the St. Louis metropolitan area are alumni.

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