Washington State Students Protest Against University’s “Cougador” Promotion at Football Game

Nov 1, 2013
8:56 AM

They formed a Facebook page called “Cougs Against the ‘Cougador'”. They asked the Washington State Athletic Director to reconsider his decision to hand out Mexican lucha libre-themed masks at a football game, and got this answer:

wsu

So with little options left, what did a WSU’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A) do when fellow WSU students took to an October 31 football game and were handed this?

They protested.

Here is what the local WSU paper reported:

A sea of crimson and gray amassed the seats of Martin Stadium Halloween night as thousands of football-goers embraced the arctic-like temperatures wearing Latino inspired attire.

For representatives of student group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A), it was an evening of protest against WSU Athletics’ distribution of ‘Cougador’ masks, which the group says degrades the Latino culture.

“Just say no to the Cougador,” M.E.Ch.A members chanted as they marched down the slope of Glenn Terrell Mall in route for Stadium Way.

Later in the article, we get more details:

Prior to the beginning of the protest, WSU President Elson S. Floyd expressed his respect for M.E.Ch.A’s actions to heighten awareness of cultural appropriation. Floyd said he understood the group’s concerns and hopes to broaden multi-cultural appreciation at WSU in coming years.

“I have an obligation to do everything I can to make this institution open and inviting and receptive to every student, faculty and staff that we have here,” Floyd said. “There’s a lot we can do together as we begin to talk about these types of issues into the future.”

Senior construction management major Cory Foss said he acknowledges M.E.Ch.A’s discontent with the ‘Cougador’ apparel. But at the end of the day, the masks and capes are nothing more than a way for fans to enjoy a football game, he said.

“It’s a Halloween costume,” Foss said. “You can get mad at other costumes for being racist to another group.”
WSU graduate Alex Fortune sees no problem with the luchador masks. It’s all about fun, he said.

“Sometimes I feel like we’re getting too politically correct on every little thing,” Fortune said. “If they can kind of laugh it off, have a good time, everything’s all good.”

See what local news had to say about it:

Is it “all good?” By the way, ASWSU Senate did pass a resolution against cultural appropriation.