September Slugs and Steins with University Archivist Kelsey Knox
Slime is on Their Side: Celebrating 40 (Official) Years of the UCSC Banana Slug Mascot
While rumors and stories abound about the sea lion vs. banana slug controversy of the 1980s, the full history of the banana slug as UCSC’s long-running student chosen mascot has rarely been explored. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the vote to re-adopt the slug as UCSC’s mascot, join University Archivist, Kelsey Knox on a dive into archival sources that show the slug’s early origins on campus, how a unilateral decision by Chancellor Robert Sinsheimer attempted to change the narrative, and how students pushed back and ultimately won back our beloved slug.
Kelsey Knox earned her B.A. in American Studies from Porter College in 2012. She served as a Resident Advisor for two years at Porter College. She also participated in the UCDC program, interning at the Peace Corps Records Office. After graduating from UCSC, Kelsey went on to complete her Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from UCLA in 2014, where she focused on Archival Studies. Kelsey spent 8 years working as an archivist in the Los Angeles area before being hired as the University Archivist at UCSC in June 2023, her dream job. As University Archivist, Kelsey is responsible for documenting, preserving, and making available UCSC’s history, from the founding of the university to present-day. Kelsey is thrilled to be living back in Santa Cruz with her husband (a fellow Porter College alum) and two cats.