Live animal mascots deserve a failing grade.

Lions are apex predators who shun contact with humans. They are designed to control vast territories, hunt and interact with their pride. Even the largest cage cannot come close to providing what these wild animals want and need. Genetic drives do not somehow “disappear” for those born in captivity; instead, they know they are not where they belong, and lions certainly do not belong on a busy college campus.

Surely the highest echelons of education can find ways to foster school spirit without compromising the well-being of animals. This is a tradition that needs to be relegated to history books.