Quakers do not usually come across as angry people, but the Guilford mascot — commonly called “the Quaker man” — is an exception. With a menacing glare and an affronted stance, the Quaker man’s representation of Quakers has come into question, and the Quaker man could be looking at a major facelift in the next few years.

“What we want to do before we start designing a new mascot is to identify the traits of a Quaker,” said Coordinator of Sports Marketing Bryan Jones. “We want to properly identify what a Quaker should convey.”

Plans to update Guilford’s mascot are still in their early stages, but already staff members have organized to discuss the best possible approach to the Quaker man’s redesign.

“We need to be aware of how we portray ourselves to the greater community,” said Ty Buckner, associate vice president for communications and marketing. “The Quaker mascot touches on a lot of different things about how we market and portray athletics, but it’s also about pride in the college; it’s important to both current and past students.”

The college community is part of the project as well. According to Buckner, there is an attachment to the current Quaker man design because of the strong history it has with Guilford, which means a confirmation of the redesign is still tentative. In order to create a new logo, the marketing team behind the project is collecting feedback from staff, students and alumni.

“We’re hoping for a wide response,” said Director of Marketing Communications Camilla Meek. “Next we plan to get opinions from student representatives.”

In addition to collecting feedback directly from Community Senate, surveys will collect opinions of students around campus. Even without a confirmation of the change, students are already discussing the possibilities for the future of the Quaker man.

“I don’t know if they should change it after he has been there for so long,” said sophomore Marshall Kennedy. “I wouldn’t mind if he was less angry, since a lot of people don’t see Quakers that way. I’d like to see him drawn better and maybe less muscular.”

Even whether the mascot figure will remain a Quaker man has become subject of debate. According to Buckner, there are many ideas being discussed, even the possibility of a Quaker woman.

“The fact that we’re Quakers, that’s not changing,” said Buckner. “That’s in the DNA of Guilford.”

Jones agrees.

“We’re Quakers, period,” said Jones. “You can’t go from Quakers to something else. That’s what the school spirit thrives on.”

According to “Pride in the Past,” a book by Herb Appenzeller that chronicles Guilford College athletics up to 1987, the angry-looking Quaker design stirred up controversy shortly after it was created. The image was one of many Quaker designs commissioned by a high school student in 1968. Prior to the design, Guilford had used the Quaker Oats logo on the sleeves of their football jerseys.

The depiction of an angry Quaker, although embraced by the athletic department at the time, roused disapproval from the former President Grimsley Hobbs, as well as a few professors. The design was expected to change shortly after 1987, and 24 years later, its future is in doubt once again.

“The mascot costume needs to be updated too,” said Jones. “To be honest, the way Nathan (the mascot costume) looks now is pretty scary with his look and his smirk. We have to remember that our mascot is supposed to be a caricature of a Quaker, who is inherently pacifistic.”

Although the Quaker’s design may be in question, other school symbols will not be changed. Those working on the project assure that the Guilford tree and the athletic “G” mark are here to stay.

“We don’t need our mascot to look angry or to look competitive,” said Jones. “I would be very surprised if people wanted an angry Quaker.”