My name is Alex Del Barrio. I am a sportscaster for Sportsradio 610 in Houston, a former announcer for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers; a former sportscaster at FOX 2 News in McAllen, the former sports information director of UTPA Athletics, the former radio voice of UTPA Basketball; most importantly I am a proud alumnus of the University of Texas-Pan American. 

I have sat back and watched as I watched things play out on what is being sold to the community of the Rio Grande Valley has an unprecedented educational opportunity with the merger of UT-Brownsville (Formerly known as the University of Texas-Pan American at Brownsville) and UT-Pan American. While there are certain educational benefits coming to the region as a result of the merger; the need for a name change away from "Pan American" in my eyes was a waste of time and money. I am surprised that those that work in higher education can believe that retreating from a name like, "Pan American" and replacing it with the region's name is progressive. 

It is anything but. The political wrangling and the strength that the UT Brownsville campus has shown in this merger has been appalling. Their very existence as a college was always one of symbiance. They either needed Texas Southmost College or UTPA to exist in the first place. Now as they become a part of a "larger" "new" university, they want to politically wrangle away the history that the Pan American name has established for over 60 years. 

The name Pan American encompassed everything that this so called "international" and "intercontinental university stood for. The Brownsville community didn't feel it was inclusive, the very name of Pan American is inclusive. You've never seen a merger in the corporate world between two giants create a new brand from scratch leaving behind history. You always see the more prominent brand live on, no matter which was the larger or more profitable. 

It is since too late to complain about the choice for UT-RGV, which I will add makes the new larger university seem like just a another regional four-year college under the UT umbrella.

However, it isn't too late to put a stop to the elimination of Broncs from our athletic department and as the symbol of this university. 

On Wednesday August 20th it was revealed that the SGA's of both UT-Pan American and UT-Brownsville had picked a "Top 10"  which didn't include Broncs or Ocelots. The names chosen were.. Aztecs, Barracudas, Bears, Sharks, Bull Snakes, Tortoises, Phoenix, Red Wolves, Foxes, and Mockingbirds.

I could give you definitive reasons why any and all of these suggestions, show no progressive thinking, little knowledge of what a mascot represents to a university, what the meaning and symbolism behind a mascot choice is, and for that matter how unoriginal these choices seem to be.

While a mascot is more to a university brand than just the athletic program; no one in higher education can argue that the primary marketing arm of the university is intercollegiate athletics. Student-athletes are the ones who wear the brand on their chest in athletic events all over the country where they are seen, photographed, written about, interviewed, and recorded performing for the university they choose to call their alma mater. In many cases just a single national television appearance can raise the profile of the university nationally exponentially. See what happened to a school like Coastal Carolina just this year. http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/05/06/4211805/ccu-sees-measurable-benefits-from.html

There is absolutely no reason to change the name Bronc, nor should the current student body be the only ones involved in deciding to replace the name, nor should they be the only ones involved in ultimately choosing the name. I would like to even see a poll as to see how many of those involved in this process have even attended, or care that the university participates in athletic contests. Just as those may argue that former athletes or alumni may be biased because they are "fans", so is it those that are indifferent or even worse, apathetic to the existence of the athletic department as a whole. 

Here are the reasons I feel we either need a change in who makes this ultimate decision here, or we need to just adopt Broncs to continue.

1. The Bronc name has a legacy that Ocelot just cannot equal. If the primary reason Bronc is off the table is because it is only fair to UTB, that's just trying to play nice and ignoring the giant pink elephant in the room. It is technically the UTPA athletic department that is living on. The NCAA division 1 program is the one that will exist, not the NAIA one in Brownsville. The athletic program in Brownsville will cease to exist. The facilities used for intercollegiate athletics will be based in Edinburg. The Bronc name dates back to the 1930s. The name Ocelots dates back to 2012. They had to abandon Scorpions because they parted ways from Texas Southmost College. I'm sorry but the name Ocelot doesn't carry anywhere near the historical weight that Broncs does.

2. Notable history. Pan American athletics has won a national title before in basketball. The NAIA national title is still one of the most iconic moments in Rio Grande Valley sports history. The appearance in the College World Series in baseball is also one of the most important moments in the program's history. These feats and more have been accomplished under the Bronc moniker. Is this history going to be erased? No. However with the school already having a new name, a nickname change will further sweep that legacy under the rug. 

3. Cost. The university name change is costing the university in the millions. Why don't you think about how much money will be spent to change the athletic logo. First all signage must be changed.. I'm not just talking about decals on windows. Think of anywhere you see the Bronc logo. Every item with the Bronc logo in the bookstore and around town must be liquidated and replaced with new merchandise. Every letterhead, employee name tag, millions of business cards and printed material must be changed. Let's not forget having to re-outfit the entire athletic department with new practice, training, and game gear. Re-outfitting the entire athletic department and university staff with new apparel. Or how about the cost of anywhere from $50-80K to resurface a basketball floor with the new logo as well. Who is paying for all of this? That would be everyone who goes to school AFTER you.

4. The current student body is not reflective of the general consensus of the alumni base, former athletes, former and current athletic staff, or members of the community in the city of Edinburg and around the Rio Grande Valley. It may be a combined campus but ALL athletics will be based out of the campus in Edinburg. Let's not pretend that there is some NEW athletic department. You are asking all who have ever cared about the athletic program to suddenly have to care about a new brand that was predominately selected by those who aren't even graduates of the University? 

5. What does changing the name really accomplish?  I am still trying to understand who decided that there needed to be a name change in the first place and why one is necessary. Who made that call? We didn't have a president; I saw nothing where the board of regents decreed that we needed to change the name of the athletic program; so why are we changing the name of the athletic department that continues to exist. If you go simply by the fact that there were two programs, and it was decided that the one in Edinburg survived, then that program should continue with the status quo. Changing the mascot should have never been a question once they decided that the NCAA Division 1 program based in Edinburg was the one that would survive. 

I ask you to assemble a committee of credible people who have experience in professional and collegiate athletics, who are knowledgeable about the school, the athletic program and the region, as well as those who are alums and are from the region to make this decision. In the meantime we need to get to work at eliminating the awful Top-10 we were presented with. 

We the undersigned are not happy with the Top 10 and we want BRONCS to remain the name of UT-RGV's athletic programs. 

#SAVEBUCKY

#UTPA

#UTRGV

#GOBRONCS