Thousands of people are making their voices heard in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas mascot controversy that boiled up again this week.
Some are saying the Hey Reb mascot is offensive because of its alleged ties to the Confederacy.
In response, two alumni have launched www.KeepHeyReb.com. The site has gathered nearly 2,700 petition signatures to be sent to UNLV's president.
Students at Saturday's football tailgate were overwhelmingly in support of Hey Reb.
"We got the name 'Rebels' because we were rebelling (against University of Nevada, Reno), not because it was a racist figure or we were trying to emulate the South in any way," said Cole Turner, a senior.
The student body president says Hey Reb was designed as an 1800s-style mountain man after a mascot was scrapped in the 1970s for being racist.
Today, Hey Reb appears to be very much a part of the UNLV family.
"Growing up in Vegas you have to kind of be a rebel," said Manney Watts, a junior. "You have to be a rebel to get where you're going in life and that's how we feel about it. At UNLV we're all rebels."
The school issued a survey this week and had an overwhelming response.
Results haven't officially been released yet.
