LAS VEGAS (AP) — UNLV President Len Jessup says the university has launched a $50,000 campaign to make changes to its "Hey Reb!" mascot in response to concerns that it has ties to the Confederacy.
Jessup told The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday that the move is "the right thing to do."
The university's mascot has long been criticized by those who say the mustachioed, cowboy hat-wearing character appears to be a Confederate soldier.
People have also called for the school to change its "Rebels" nickname, but the name will remain unchanged. UNLV Chief Diversity Officer Rainier Spencer issued a report on the topic last November based on research that concluded the moniker was not intended as a reference to the Confederacy.
