SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The Stanford Tree is rooted in controversy again.
The individual who serves as Stanford's famous – or infamous – unofficial mascot has been suspended after unfurling a banner which read "Stanford hates fun," during the school’s football game against Arizona State on Oct. 22.
The person who portrays the tree, identified by the Stanford student newspaper as Jordan Zietz, a class of 2024 student, first announced the suspension on the official Stanford Tree Twitter account.
The person who previously performed as the mascot prior to Zietz will now serve as the Stanford Tree in the interim. According to the paper, the ban will lasts until January.
The Stanford Athletic Department confirmed the suspension in a statement, saying, "The students comprising the executive committee of the LSJUMB (Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band) have suspended the Tree mascot due to a violation of the band's policies and processes."
The Tree is officially the Stanford Band's mascot, though unofficially recognized as the university mascot since 1972.
According to the outlet, Zietz's banner was in reference to "the sentiment among some students that the University has moved to restrict student social life."
The Stanford Tree was also previously suspended twice in 2006; once for publicly drinking during a game and another time for dancing in an undesignated area. In addition, the entire band in 2016 was suspended for several months due to multiple alcohol violations.
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