The changing of the school mascot from the New Paltz Hawks to the New Paltz Sock Monkeys will greatly increase student morale while on campus. The hawk represents a far too vicious and ferocious aspect of our school while a Sock Monkey is more inviting and caring. In order to provide a less stressful and more accepting environment, we must rethink how we view the symbols on our campus. Hawks may trigger students who own small animals or who have been attacked by birds in the past. This can cause many students to feel out of place on campus or not comfortable at all applying to campus. Thus, we must support an environment more nurturing and accepting of all of our students. How do we accomplish this? By adopting this Sock Monkey as our new student mascot.