Frequently Asked Questions
About the New Cal Lutheran Spirit Mark
Why did we create this new Spirit Mark?
The previous Spirit Mark system has been in use for more than a decade, but hasn’t fully satisfied the needs of the university. For the last several years, our athletics teams have been asking for a powerful visual symbol that could work with both our men’s and women’s team names, unifying Kingsmen and Regals under a single mark. The previous Spirit Mark system does not include a symbol and thus fails to communicate attributes that are important to our athletics and other school spirit initiatives. This new mark draws from some of the university’s early logos to create a modern take on a long-standing tradition and convey traits such as honor, courage, strength and victory.
Why is there no “U”?
Beyond our campus boundaries, the most common ways that California Lutheran University is casually referenced are “Cal Lutheran” and “Cal Lu.” This fact is evidenced by observation of media references, web search patterns, and the fact that another university owns the trademark “CLU”. Thus, University Leadership and the Board of Regents decided to align our new logo with our most familiar nicknames.
A “U” inside the logo is not needed to confer prestige to a school or athletics program – Notre Dame and University of Southern California are examples of prestigious athletics programs that don’t include a “U” in their athletics logos.
Also, keep in mind that our Master Brand identity is not changing, and those institutional and academic logos always include the word “University.”
Does this mean we can't use “CLU” in a cheer, or on the rocks?
Please feel free to use any cheers or chants that include “CLU.” There is no expectation that you start referring to Cal Lutheran as "CL" in conversation or cheers. Finally, there are no plans to alter the rocks on Mt. Clef.
Are the mascots changing?
The team names – Kingsmen and Regals – are an important part of our tradition and will not be changing. The costumes for the on-the-field mascot characters will likely be changing. We are working in partnership with Student Life to determine the best way to select new mascot costumes.
Why do we have two logos?
Nearly all higher education institutions maintain separate academic and athletic logo identities, as they find it difficult to represent that the scope of a university’s offerings in a single mark that conveys the more serious academic side and the more spirited and competitive athletics side. Cal Lutheran has adopted that model as well, maintaining our Master Brand identity for institutional and academic use, along with our Spirit Mark identity for use with athletics and school spirit.
Who can use the new mark / what can it be used for?
The new mark is reserved for use in Athletics, Student Life, Alumni Relations, and other school spirit applications. This will not replace existing uses of the Master Brand identity, nor are they interchangeable.
When will items be updated with the new logo?
Many placements have been updated for the in-use date of August 15, 2017. Other placements and items will be replaced with the updated Spirit Mark on a rolling basis when they're normally due for replacement. This means you'll continue to see uses of the previous Spirit Mark for a few years as items are gradually replaced. There is currently no specific timeline for updating the logos on the basketball court and football field, but we'll do so as soon as we can.
What do we do with items bearing the old Spirit Mark?
You are more than welcome to continue proudly wearing your legacy Cal Lutheran gear. After all, it’s part of our proud athletics heritage that we’re excited to continue with the new Spirit Mark system. And as mentioned above, you’ll continue to see institutional uses of the previous Spirit Mark over the next few years as items are replaced on a rolling basis.