The redesigned Golden Eagle mascot made its debut last week, strolling along Wisconsin Avenue and joining the crowd at Marquette Madness Friday night.

The design changes, including brighter colors, a fiercer appearance and the addition of wings, in part signifies Marquette's entrance into the Big East Conference.

Students and faculty alike were interested in the unveiling of the new mascot, especially because of the move to a higher-profile conference.

"I think it looks great and will carry us with great success to the Big East," said the Rev. James Flaherty, rector of the Marquette Jesuit Community.

Some students had reservations about the fierceness and intimidation the mascot was said to embody.

"I'm not sure this one looks fierce, but the old mascot looked sort of childish," said Luke Junk, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration.

Though Junk felt the new mascot was an improvement in terms of looking more professional, other students were less impressed with the design changes.

"I think it looks kind of ridiculous," said Sam Twomey, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. "I didn't see what was wrong with the original. I guess they were going for intimidating, but it doesn't strike fear in me."

Rachel Finn, a freshman in the College of Communication, agreed.

"The lack of eyebrows was more disturbing than it was intimidating," she said. Finn said she would have liked to see "something to strike fear in the hearts of our opponents."

Though some feel the mascot lacks a fierce quality, Junk acknowledged it was a better representation of a golden eagle than the past mascot.

"I think it's an improvement, because it actually looks like a golden eagle," he said. "The one before didn't have wings… It's a more realistic depiction."

The changes also garnered support from the athletic department.

"I think it addresses all of the concerns of the past mascot," said Mike Broeker, assistant athletics director in media relations. "It has a more vivid color and an implementation of a wing feature. It's a definite improvement over the past mascot."

Broeker was impressed with the accuracy of the mascot in terms of its resemblance to the two-dimensional design that Eric Rickabaugh, the owner of Rickabaugh Graphics in Gahanna, Ohio, created for the university.

"We're very pleased with the design," Broeker said. "They did a tremendous job of bringing Rickabaugh's design to life."

The mascot was chosen last month from two designs that were deemed best by focus groups consisting of students, faculty and alumni. The groups had met during the summer to give suggestions for the design.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 18, 2005.