Oklahoma has no plans to change its mascot
Oklahoma isn't likely to change its mascot name any time soon, according to school president David Boren.
Boren said the only way the school would change the words, "Boomer" and "Sooner" is if its almost 245,000 alumni agreed to it.
"I think the words in their modern context are no longer tied to the history of the Oklahoma land settlement," Boren said in a statement. "They have taken a meaning of their own, which stands mainly for strong support for our state and university."
Members of Indigenize OU have spoken out to try and get the university to not use "Sooner."
The term, "Boomer Sooner" is in reference to the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. "Boomers" refer to the settlers who waited for the starting gun to race to claim their land. "Sooners" are the ones who settled on the land before it legally opened.
"I wish he would understand how this impacts a much greater community outside of OU," said Sydne Gray of Indigenize OU.
"The term today stands for a spirit which is inclusive, sets high standards of excellence and represents a strong sense of a common family," Boren said in the statement.
"The only way I can see it being changed is for our almost 245,000 alumni to ask for it."
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