Eliminating the A-Roo

[skip-zip]

I'm going to create a CT logo for Alabama, representing the two first letters of their UNIQUE nickname also. Then I am going to ask people if they can guess who that symbol represents. I'll wager that it would be almost nobody.

[Dave in Green]

If you want the see the Z differently, turn your head ninety degrees, now you see an N.

And if you turn your head 180 degrees the A-Roo becomes a V with a flying bat.

[a-zip]

Opinions are great…I enjoy reading them….some of the opinions out here have changed my opinion on certain things.

I came into this because of comments and quotes that are misrepresentative of reality and divisive. That do nothing but get people up in arms (i.e. the topic of this thread). I also take exception to people calling almost everyone in U of A's administration stupid and implying they are deceitful and making decisions on whims. I am not here to count how many times a logo appears on our jersey (my bad for getting caught in that rat hole).

A few examples of what I am talking about;

• First and foremost - The A-Roo is NOT being ELIMINATED. Many schools have multiple logos.
• Alex Abreu was not the "center piece" to the Z campaign. I found 1 picture of him with the Z on his jersey. The promotional poster of he and Zeke says ZIPS on the jersey (I will add the A-Roo is on the poster though ;-) You can see it on Zeke's Facebook page….along with his ZM logo (using our Z)
• There WAS a poll conducted by the U of A and I am quite sure there were multiple studies done on the impact of "MOVING" to the Z logo as the primary. The fact is we have both.
• ​There have been facts, links, documents and real information around the meetings and "critical thinking" going on with our administration.

I don’t have time to go through all the B.S. (not opinions) again and also the ones included on the UA rebranding thread. My only hope is for people to post FACTS (which I am actually very interested in whether good or bad). I guess I just need to pay more attention to who the posters are because in hindsight, it is obvious there are some that simply want to bitch.

A few of my opinions;

• I seriously doubt anyone remembers what was on the jersey or warm-up of our championship soccer team from 5 years ago. What is important – THE ZIPS WON!!
• We can choose to wear what we want - you buy the A-Roo, I will buy the Z. I will give you a high five/bump either way.
• I do not feel the administration is obligated to share all of the information in their decision making process with us. TW, Dr. S and the rest are entrusted with making good informed decisions. If they mess up, they should be fired.
• Information being leaked prematurely around the polytech rebrand is a good example of why certain things should be kept behind closed doors. I have been in leadership positions of companies that were targeted for acquisition. When the acquiring company begins their diligence, rumors start to fly, the rumors become fact in some peoples minds…..production goes down and sometimes the acquisition (that could have benefited a lot of people) falls through. Our philosophy was alway to operate as if everything was staying the same. When the deal is signed, then we announce why it was done and how it benefits all. Involving everyone in big decisions becomes a cluster. Nothing gets done….visions are lost.
• I acknowledge AGAIN iCoach was a debacle….holocaust…..mistake….F$%k up. TW obviously got a mulligan and I think there have been some solid hires and retentions since.
• The #teamohio thing after OSU won was bad.
• I think things are on the upswing - I think men's soccer may make a nice run in the NCAAs, the basketball team is poised for another great season and has some exciting young players, and finally I think our football team is going to win enough games to go to a bowl. I think the timing is right for shifting to another primary logo.
• I like the new basketball court, I like the basketball Z jerseys, I like the new football helmets (so do my kids) but if they had stayed with the A-Roo and won, I could care less.

I am not going to throw away my A-Roo coffee mug but I am in the market for a new Z mug.

[a-zip]

And if you turn your head 180 degrees the A-Roo becomes a V with a flying bat.

a-roo180.jpg

I cannot un-see that now!!

I still have not figured out how to post a jpg from my computer.

[Zip_ME87]

I don’t have time to go through all the B.S. (not opinions) again and also the ones included on the UA rebranding thread. My only hope is for people to post FACTS (which I am actually very interested in whether good or bad). I guess I just need to pay more attention to who the posters are because in hindsight, it is obvious there are some that simply want to bitch.

• I do not feel the administration is obligated to share all of the information in their decision making process with us. TW, Dr. S and the rest are entrusted with making good informed decisions. If they mess up, they should be fired.

Sorry, a-zip, but things are not as cut and dry as you want to make them. FACTS can be construed to support the opinion of the one quoting. Also, all FACTS are not necessarily useful or applicable.

As the leaders of a public institution, the administrators at the University of Akron are obligated to share all of the information in their decision making process unless it is university intellectual property or otherwise subject to privacy laws.

[Dr Z]

And if you turn your head 180 degrees the A-Roo becomes a V with a flying bat.

No. It's just an unmistakable upside down logo.

[Dave in Green]

No. It's just an unmistakable upside down logo.

Great example of an opinion from someone already familiar with the A-Roo logo. I can respect opinions from that viewpoint just as I could from those who've never seen the A-Roo and would see a V with a flying bat.

Now for some indisputable facts from the UA website:

Athletics' marks

The Zips' athletic identity is one of The University of Akron’s most visible representations. The “A-roo” mark, right, is used as the primary trademark of the Department of Athletics and is the preferred mark for external use.

And in the current Athletics Brand Guide it shows the familar A-Roo as the primary logo and other versions of the A-Roo and the stylized Z as secondary logos.

My opinion is that the Athletics Brand Guide is going to be revised with the current primary A-Roo logo moved to a secondary logo and the current secondary Z logo moved to the primary logo.

But who knows? The ABJ could blow this up into a big story and thousands could march on campus in protest.

[Zip_ME87]

But who knows? The ABJ could blow this up into a big story and thousands could march on campus in protest.

Ha.

One would certainly hope not. Although, I've voiced my preference here time and again, I'm not about to march on campus in protest over the A-Roo vs the Z / N. It's just not an opinion I think worthy of that kind of effort. However, I don't believe Z will be the savior of Zips Football or Zips Athletics in general. I dislike gimmicks and diversions as to the root cause of Akron Football's failure to draw spectators or UoA academics to draw students.

Perhaps we should all feel as passionate about voicing our disdain with our representatives for their dysfunction and pandering to special interests as we seem to be in voicing our opinions on ZN.o.

I have a hard time interpreting "...provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty..." as give money and special loopholes away to special interests; give handouts to people who aren't willing to work; give handouts to people who get a lawyer and some judge to say they're disabled yet they can spin the wheel on Price is Right or compete on Survivor; force people to buy health insurance; make the government responsible for everyone instead of expecting people to be responsible for themselves. yada yada yada However, I can see educating our citizens better than anyone else in the world in all of those words.

[a-zip]

Sorry, a-zip, but things are not as cut and dry as you want to make them. FACTS can be construed to support the opinion of the one quoting. Also, all FACTS are not necessarily useful or applicable.

As the leaders of a public institution, the administrators at the University of Akron are obligated to share all of the information in their decision making process unless it is university intellectual property or otherwise subject to privacy laws.

The facts I provided have nothing to do with supporting my opinions and I am not trying to persuade anyone into anything. The facts I provided were to clear up the fact that A-Roo is not being ELIMINATED (which was clearly articulated in an email from TW to the recipient and person who started this string). I think that is pretty useful because if people thought it was being ELIMINATED, I would expect some people to be upset. They should not be. Quite frankly, I think this whole topic is comical….now I am just having fun.

Saying Dr. Scarborough is trying to destroy UA is ignorant. Saying AA was the poster child for the Z campaign is BS. Saying the Z was intended to be the "savior" of Zips football and the athletic program is childish. Who ever said any of those things?!?! Are you trying to say those are facts or are you and a few others just throwing out crap to support your OPINIONS.

See, I actually appreciate the OPINIONS of the credible people who's opinions differ from mine. The opinions on how some see how higher learning being delivered in the future has forced me to investigate it more since I have a 17 year old that is preparing for college. So thank you.

Regarding information being shared by the president and constituents….you need to understand something……the visions, discussions, plans that are being formulated by the president and are not set in stone - not policy. Information was leaked and they had to scramble to satisfy the protesters. In my OPINION…...I don't think the administration wanted these things to be public knowledge yet. In my OPINION, I think Dr. Scarborough and the office of general council are fully aware of their obligations to disclose information and will do so when it is appropriate. My OPINION and hope is when they share their findings, research and plan - they will explain it logically. My OPINION is that after that is done - some people will be happy and some won't. I don't know how I will feel yet but based on things I have read, I like that we are taking the lead. I am anxious to hear the detailed plan once it is done. Oh, another OPINION I have is that the presidents of the other schools in Ohio feel they have gotten beaten to the punch. Their responses were predictable.

[Zip_ME87]

The facts I provided have nothing to do with supporting my opinions

I guess I misread this...

Balsy, LZip, ME - My opinion is based on a lot of facts and a lot of research from people other than Dr. Scarborough. Studies from the US Department of Education, NY Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg - people like Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, etc etc.

Sorry, obviously my bad.

[Zip_ME87]

Regarding information being shared by the president and constituents….you need to understand something……the visions, discussions, plans that are being formulated by the president and are not set in stone - not policy. Information was leaked and they had to scramble to satisfy the protesters. In my OPINION…...I don't think the administration wanted these things to be public knowledge yet. In my OPINION, I think Dr. Scarborough and the office of general council are fully aware of their obligations to disclose information and will do so when it is appropriate.

I don't take exception to the above, but I did take exception to your original comment which was stated differently...

"I do not feel the administration is obligated to share all of the information in their decision making process with us. TW, Dr. S and the rest are entrusted with making good informed decisions." Perhaps I would have read this differently if you stated "...information during their decision making process which is not complete..."

Realize that you're throwing out "crap" as you call it to support your opinions, then backing up and clarifying. I have no problem with you having your opinions, but I do have a problem with you belittling others by stating that you're posting facts and we're not. Your facts don't necessarily have anything to do with what you're discussing if I'm to understand this statement ... "The facts I provided have nothing to do with supporting my opinions...". You're going in circles. My head hurts. You're also making statements such as 'nobody likes the A-Roo'. That's not emotional crap? I like the A-Roo. Others like the A-Roo.

[Dave in Green]

We all have a tendency to mix facts and opinions to some degree. I have a different perspective from the average bear after being trained and experienced as a professional journalist, where tough editors beat you over the head about clearly separating facts and opinions. But as much as I try to keep them separate in my posts I'm not always 100% clear to everyone.

One difficulty we face on a forum like this is that we start out assuming that we all have something in common as Zips fans so we can be relaxed and comfortable in saying whatever we want. Then when differences of opinion break out we're suddenly challenged on every adjective we post and we have to slow down and make sure we're posting exactly what we want to say.

[Zip_ME87]

@a-zip I've gone back and reread many of your posts to better understand your perspective. Several things stuck out to me, but I didn't post all of the quotes here.

"When I played, we had the BYU A and we won. When Faust came in, it was changed to the moving A. It was a bit sad but a little exciting we embraced it."

"Great post and pic - perfect!! Maybe that is where the A-Roo and the University of Akron name belong….in a broken down, dilapidated, run down, outdated Rubber Bowl. Time to move onward and upward."

It seems you're approaching this discussion from a Football perspective. First, I don't know who you are, but thank you for your time as A Zips Football player. I was a student at least part of the time you were playing. Although, I don't remember players' names, I remember Jim Dennison taking the Zips to the I-AA playoffs in the timeframe you mentioned. My OPINION...Jim Dennison had more to do with winning than the "BYU style" A. But, whatever, I agree, getting wildly upset over logo changes is silly. We simply have a difference of opinion, and I realize the A-Roo is NOT being eliminated. My issue related to this is that Jim Dennison was never given the chance to coach the DI-A Zips. A change was made to "make a splash". I like Gerry Faust; he's a very nice person, but he did not have a College Football winning record at a school where recruiting is relatively easy compared to Akron. Nevertheless, the change was made with no respect for Jim Dennison or any other Zips Athletics Program (in my OPINION) such as Men's Basketball which went to its first NCAA Tourney in the DI era in the same timeframe.

My bigger problem is with the potential name change. I have no problem with referring to The University of Akron as Ohio's Polytechnic University. I will have a problem if they want to completely change the name from The University of Akron to anything else. The University of Akron is a great public university, as Dr. Scarborough has stated, and does, in my OPINION, prepare its students for success in the workforce better than most schools in the country. My UoA Engineering degree and the UoA Engineering Co-op Program got me my "dream" career/job. The one that I wanted for most of my life. The current UoA internship and co-op programs got my niece an excellent job in her career field. My other niece, who graduated from tOSU has a job due to her degree, but its not in her field of study, also a technical degree. No internship; no co-op. I'm not saying tOSU doesn't have these things, but I think (my OPINION) that UoA's programs are MUCH BETTER.

I am extremely proud of The University of Akron. My mailbox is blue & gold with an A-Roo on it. Had to make it myslef because I couldn't buy one, and I'm so sick of seeing all the tOSU crap everywhere from people who never went there. I wear a Zips lanyard to work everyday. I have Zips posters, pictures, etc. on the walls of my cubicle. When I received my 30 year service award a few days ago, I was referred to as Akron's biggest proponent. I'm sure everyone on this board shares that passion. Make fun of the A-Roo all you want, but THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON name in NO WAY deserves to be relegated to someplace like the delapidated Rubber Bowl. That I would go to campus and march against.

EDIT: Things like these and others are what has caused my skepticism of TW, Dr. Scarborough, and anyone else who didn't go to UoA, but is currently responsible for it. So, yeah, I'm probably too harsh on them, but for something that I truly care about, and in my OPINION, currently does so much so well, they should have to CLEARLY answer to the skepticsm.

[a-zip]

You're going in circles. My head hurts. You're also making statements such as 'nobody likes the A-Roo'. That's not emotional crap? I like the A-Roo. Others like the A-Roo.

I acknowledged that I got caught in the rat hole of debating how many times the A-Roo appeared with our championship soccer team. My bad. I have also stated that I don't care if you wear A-Roo or Z - I will give you a bump either way. I have A-Roo, Fear the Roo, and Z shirts, mugs and hats - my kids and I wear them all proudly.

For the record, I never said "nobody likes the A-Roo" and I don't believe I have ever said I didn't like the A-Roo. I did post links from lostletterman and uniformcritics that gave THEIR OPINIONS on our uniforms. I also said that most people outside of Ohio don't even know what the animal on the helmet is. I am not lying when I say that and I am not trying to persuade anyone to changing their feelings….I am just giving a perspective from the mid-atlantic. My over all point has been A-Roo is not being eliminated and many schools have multiple logos so I don't see why people are so upset.

[a-zip]

Don't get me started on Coach D I love that man! He is the reason I went to U of A.

[Zip_ME87]

For the record, I never said "nobody likes the A-Roo"

To what is "it" referring in this if not the A-Roo? Perhaps I misread it. just curious.

[a-zip]

To what is "it" referring in this if not the A-Roo? Perhaps I misread it. just curious.

If you read it. I am being sarcastic about nobody liking the ZZZZZZZZ! NOT the A-roo. I then say I actually like the ZZZZZZ! I do not say I don't like the A-roo.

Feel free to try and analyze all of my posts to find something wrong....I am sure you will find something. good luck :-p

[K92]

To what is "it" referring in this if not the A-Roo? Perhaps I misread it. just curious.

I wish there were people in the media who would hold our worthless politicians' feet to the fire the way you are taking A-Roo to task.

[Zip_ME87]

If you read it. I am being sarcastic about nobody liking the ZZZZZZZZ! NOT the A-roo. I then say I actually like the ZZZZZZ! I do not say I don't like the A-roo.

Feel free to try and analyze all of my posts to find something wrong....I am sure you will find something. good luck :-p

I'm not trying or wanting to analyze all of your posts. I obviously misread the "it" and honestly wanted to know to what you were referring. Truly sorry that I made you so sensitive to anything I ask.

edit - may be completely obvious to you because you wrote it, but the "it" is ambiguous. I could read it to mean the Z now that you pointed that out; I could also read "it" to be referring to the subject of the thread, which is what I did. Lighten up a little please.

[a-zip]

I'm not trying or wanting to analyze all of your posts. I obviously misread the "it" and honestly wanted to know to what you were referring. Truly sorry that I made you so sensitive to anything I ask.

edit - may be completely obvious to you because you wrote it, but the "it" is ambiguous. I could read it to mean the Z now that you pointed that out; I could also read "it" to be referring to the subject of the thread, which is what I did. Lighten up a little please.

I am not sensitive

To what is "it" referring in this if not the A-Roo? Perhaps I misread it. just curious.

I am not being sensitive. I guess I should have asked what is your point for asking this….to prove I said I didn't like the A-Roo? Honestly, I don't see where any of this is heading at this point so I am going to bow out.

[Zip_ME87]

Ok. It's not going anywhere other than clarification. Me too.

[K92]

These still tasted good in the A-Roo tumbler. I don't have a Z tumbler to compare it with, though.

[a-zip]

How do you load your own pictures? Still can't seem to do it.

[Dr Z]

How do you load your own pictures? Still can't seem to do it.

Gallery help.

Keener, I have that some cup. Excellent for shaking margaritas in too.

[Hilltopper]

http://www.tervis.com/designs/Designs-Coll-Collegiate-Akron-Zips/5c4d25136fdb0ff2abf5e293f25dfc57/0c0e5f6956c3246064f84c14b7eade15/#upc=093597440533