Students Vote for the Banana Slug

Students Vote for the Banana Slug

From UCSC Slugcast by UCSC Division of Student Affairs and Success

May 22, 2026 · 30 min · Season 19 · Episode 22

About this episode

This episode recounts the story of how UCSC students voted to change their mascot to the Banana Slugs 40 years ago.

We are happy to host this special episode created by Daniel Story at UCSC's DSC. Below you'll find the original description of the episode. Enjoy! 40 years ago, students at the University of California, Santa Cruz, defied their chancellor and overwhelming voted to change the university's official mascot from the Sea Lions to the Banana Slugs. This is the story of that vote and the official creation of what might be the most famous university mascot of all time. Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Success and produced by our student podcasters, UCSC Slugcast supports free expression of ideas. Please be aware that the views and opinions expressed by speakers are that of the speaker alone and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Similarly, views and opinions of University employees or students are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Slugcast, the Division of Student Affairs and Success, or the University.

People in this episode

Host: Daniel Story

Topics covered

  • university history
  • mascot change
  • student activism
  • UCSC culture
  • student engagement

Keywords

  • UCSC
  • Banana Slug
  • Sea Lion
  • mascot
  • student vote
  • history
  • activism

Sponsors

Division of Student Affairs and Success

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UCSC

Places: University of California, Santa Cruz, Sea Lions, Banana Slugs

More episodes of UCSC Slugcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the UCSC Slugcast podcast page.