UNLV fans launch website to support Rebels mascot

In response to anti-racism protests at UNLV this week during which several students claimed the school mascot, Hey Reb!, was a symbol of racism and a survey was posted online by a UNLV campus group to gauge the community's feelings on Hey Reb!, some Rebels fans on Wednesday launched a KeepHeyReb.com website.

The site urges visitors to sign a petition that states "Keep Hey Reb, or I'll Keep My Donation!"

With each signature, an email is sent to UNLV president Len Jessup.

"We know that there's only one real way to get the attention of those who matter: with our money," reads the statement on the website. "Therefore, we hereby resolve that if Hey Reb is no longer the mascot of UNLV, we pledge to stop all donations to UNLV.

"Hey Reb is a goodwill ambassador in our community, has played a pivotal role in the experience we all have had at UNLV, and we stand proudly as Rebels to support this cause.

"So please, sign the petition letting UNLV Administration and the Board of Regents know your stance on this issue."

UNLV's original mascot was a cartoon wolf named Beauregard who was clad in Confederate military garb. However, in the early 1970s, a group of UNLV student-athletes objected to the Confederate imagery surrounding the mascot and in 1976 students voted to officially banish Beauregard.

Hey Reb! was created in 1982 by former Review-Journal artist Mike Miller, who said his inspiration for the mascot came from the western mountain men of the 1800s.

The Council on Equity and Opportunity, an autonomous volunteer group of UNLV employees, originally posted the Hey Reb! survey to get feedback from the UNLV community to present at the December Board of Regents meeting.

However, the survey, which was scheduled to run through Nov. 30, was taken down Thursday with the following message on the page:

"This survey will close without notice due to the high number of responses. Information from the survey will be provided to CEO, the UNLV President and Chief Diversity Officer, and the NSHE Regents so that a meaningful discussion can be had around this topic.

"Results will not be made publicly available and will not be available for research purposes."

While the survey results won't be shared, the hashtag "#westandwithheyreb" was trending on Twitter in Las Vegas on Wednesday shortly after the survey was posted.

UNLV's diversity office is currently finalizing a comprehensive report on the school's nickname and mascot.