By Addisson Pribble

The University of Colorado Buffaloes football team is without its cherished mascot. Ralphie VI, nicknamed Ember, retired on Aug. 26, three days before the first home game.

“I was so sad,” said Cassidy Jacobs, a political science junior who has only missed two home football games since her freshmen year.  

Steve Hurlbert, the spokesperson for the Athletics Department, says that Ralphie’s departure was “due to an indifference to running.”

The traditional running of Ralphie at the beginning of home football games is called the Ralphie Run, and it’s been going on for 59 years. The run creates an electric energy for the fans and is one of the best parts of game day. 

CU Dance Team member Regan Poppen spends every home football game on the field dancing and cheering. Poppen, an Integrative Physiology and Sociology major, works closely with Ralphie’s handlers. Without Ralphie, she says things won’t feel the same. 

“Without having that tradition there, you feel like your game day is not complete,” Poppen said. 

CU Boulder is one of a handful of U.S. universities that have a live mascot. Some animal rights advocates like Kate Myers, question why.  

Myers is the founder of Speaking of Animals Outreach, a Colorado nonprofit that promotes treating animals with compassion. She has worked with companion animals for more than 50 years. She said that people’s lack of empathy for animals clouds their judgment. She is concerned about the Ralphie Run. 

“It is a tradition, and traditions change,” she said. “If you’re doing something wrong, then you should stop doing it. People evolve. Our thoughts and perspectives change. We have a choice of what we do.” 

Meyers says that the shift in perspective begins with the understanding that both humans and buffaloes are animals. She says there isn’t that much difference between us and them; therefore, humans shouldn’t have the right to decide what other animals do. 

While the Ralphie Run is a beloved staple, students also care about how the mascot is treated. Jacobs says she supports the Ralphie Run because she learned that the buffalo has specified care and a large field to roam. Jacobs says the decision to retire Ember shows that the Ralphie’s handlers prioritize the buffalo, not the school. 

“At the end of the day, what’s most important is the animal’s health and safety,” Jacobs said. “If we have to lose her for a couple of games so the animal can be in a better place for herself, then that’s what’s more important.”

Despite calls for change, the university has decided to bring back the tradition. Ralphie VII, a 1-year-old, 700-pound bison, will debut this Saturday as the Buffaloes host the Wyoming Cowboys at Folsom Field.

Ralphie VII was was a gift to the university from the Beauprez Family who own Eagle’s Wing Ranch outside of Steamboat Springs.

The Ralphie Run is back after its two-game hiatus, which will be a boost for the home crowd’s spirit.