PRESIDENTIAL RACE YSU: Keep Pete out of politics

Plucking the penguin's picture prevents him from pulling for the president.
STAFF/WIRE REPORT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Bush-Cheney campaign has complied with a request from Youngstown State University to remove from a re-election Web site the image of a person dressed as a penguin holding a sign supporting the presidential ticket.
YSU officials believe that the photograph and an accompanying caption identifying the costumed person as YSU's "Pete the Penguin" mascot amounted to an improper use of the image, Ron Cole, YSU spokesman, said this morning.
The photo showed Pete the Penguin standing alone, along with a caption that read, "The YSU Penguin shows the student body's strong support for Bush/Cheney."
The university has not and would not give any political party permission to use the mascot, Cole said.
YSU asked the campaign this week to remove the photo, and it has complied, Cole said.
Never gave permission
Debbie Lowe, licensing coordinator for the school's marketing office, said no one contacted her department for permission to use the photo on the Bush Web site. Lowe said a lawyer for the Web site told her he couldn't say who took the photo or sent it.
"The mascot is not for use in partisan politics," said Jean Engle, YSU's assistant director of marketing and communications.
Associate athletic director Rick Love estimated that more than 50 people have access to the university's mascot costumes.
Kevin Madden, a Bush campaign spokesman, said Wednesday night that he wasn't aware of the situation and couldn't immediately comment.
On Wednesday night, a section of the site titled "Mascot Photos" displayed snapshots of Bush supporters standing with the costumed mascots of Northern Michigan University, the Detroit Tigers and Michigan State University.
"Send us a photo of your school mascot with a Bush-Cheney [sign] or at your Students for Bush event, and we'll post it here!" the page reads.
A message seeking comment was left for a spokeswoman for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.