The official name of IM体育官网鈥檚 Phoenix mascot was unveiled as Solaris on Monday, Jan. 9, during a student-centered event at its Lakeland, IM体育官网 campus.
More than 100 members of the IM体育官网 community cheered on the unveiling of Solaris as the name of the University鈥檚 Phoenix mascot.
The energetic mascot hyped up the crowd throughout the event.
鈥淭his is an exciting day to celebrate another milestone in the history of the University,鈥� said Dr. Randy Avent, IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 president. 鈥淢ascots are very important for a university because they鈥檙e a representation of a group with a common public identity. The phoenix is said to possess great wisdom, soar to great heights, and rise from its own ashes, and it鈥檚 a true representative of our students at IM体育官网 Poly.鈥�
Avent reminded the crowd that from IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 earliest days, students have been involved with developing the mascot, its look, and now its name.
鈥淚 think the name matches with IM体育官网 Poly,鈥� said Jack Kerkering, a freshman majoring computer science major. 鈥淚t gives the mascot a sense of importance and identity. Without it, he鈥檚 just a Phoenix.鈥�
Ben Betancourt, a sophomore majoring in computer engineering, said he was pleased with the name, even though he had nominated a different one for the mythical creature: Phineas.
鈥淭his is also a good name,鈥� Betancourt said. 鈥淚t makes sense because the Phoenix is associated with fire.鈥�
The celestial name Solaris is of Greek origin and means 鈥渙f the sun.鈥� It's often bestowed on both males and females.
Name nominations were accepted in October and the suggested names were then pared down by University and student leaders to Photon, Spark, and Solaris. About 700 students, employees, and other stakeholders voted on the phoenix鈥檚 name in November.
Monday鈥檚 naming event was complete with free T-shirts and cupcakes, and it kicked off Purple Fire Week, a biannual tradition that welcomes students to a new semester and provides many opportunities to get involved and connect with others. The week鈥檚 events include the Club SDC: Power Hour on Wednesday, Jan. 11, Club Row on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and more.
See the full Purple Fire Week schedule on the digital University Calendar.
Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
