Greetings, Comrades! Nicholls State was named in honor of a former Confederate officer, but since the Civil War is (mostly) over, the school decided their Southern Gentlemen Warrior mascot needed an refresh. So now he's a bloodthirsty fascist oppressor.

To be fair, Colonels fans are having trouble deciding if the new and improved school mascot looks more like a Nazi or a Communist. But it does seem clear that his aim is to smash liberty and put American slaves under the heel of his jackboot. I guess that does make him just a smidge more fearsome than a former governor of Louisiana who merely wanted blacks to know their place.

The school actually paid someone $30,000 to create this updated "Colonel Tillou" mascot and bring Nicholls State squarely into the 1930s. (Behold the power of focus groups.) They dropped the previous white-bearded, gray-suited Confederate in 2004 after the NAACP pointed out that slavery was wrong. Fortunately, there aren't many pro-Cossack organizations in Louisiana so the New Tillou might be here for awhile.

At least they didn't go with what many of the students wanted—the nutria, an invasive, semi-aquatic rodent. Unless maybe the rodent wanted to invade Poland?

New ‘Tillou' has detractors, supporters [Thibodaux Daily Comet]
New Nicholls mascot has many alumni up in arms [New Orleans Times-Picayune]

Send an email to Dashiell Bennett, the author of this post, at dashiell@deadspin.com.