University of Texas Letterhead / Paw Print Model Bares Tale

Given that, at the last Academic Senate Meeting, the University of Texas was put forward as an institution which we might well emulate and were emulating by adopting the new logo, it is worth looking at what UT actually uses for letterhead. You can see for yourself this link:

University of Texas Letterhead

No editorial comment necessary here.

There is another link that makes the distinction between the "hook 'em horns" sign familiar to all college football fans and what professors at UT use for academic communication: "The Longhorn logo is reserved for student spirit and athletic communications. The logo should not be used to represent academic units." (My italics)

Here is the link:

Longhorn Logo Only for Spirit / Athletics

Meanwhile, the paw-print model for the new Fresno State logo, Ms. Maneki Neko, was caught in a candid moment at a local sushi restaurant and answered a few questions.

Huron County Abstract: "Maneki-san, does it bother you that your paw print is being used to represent a bulldog?"

Maneki Neko: "Not for $15,000."

HCE: "But isn't that false advertising? I mean, isn't the logo supposed to represent the identity of Fresno State? And isn't that identity a bulldog?"

Maneki Neko: "Bulldogs are ugly. They drool. They have cracked, unkempt nails sticking out. A pedicure is, like, totally lost on a bulldog. People just don't want to see that kind of thing on a logo. It's gross."

HCE: "Still, aren't you worried it might affect the morale of the football team, not to mention the alumni, if it got out that the bulldog paw print was really yours?"

Maneki Neko: "People don't want a real bulldog print, any more than they want to see a real duck in a Donald Duck cartoon. I'm helping the team cultivate a more sleek, sophisticated, feline vibe. You see, my paw is something a bulldog can aspire to. If they play well, they'll create the reality of the paw."

HCE: "But do you think that even a cat's paw can adequately represent the faculty and students?"

Maneki Neko: "Faculty? Students?"

HCE: "You know. The people who teach classes and take classes at Fresno State University?"

Maneki Neko: "Classes? I thought Fresno State was just the name of a football team. I can assure you that no one in Japan associates a university with a dog."