UNLV is about being Different, Daring and Diverse. This perfectly describes what a Rebel is. UNLV is a school that encourages it's students to go against the society's norm and make a change in it. Hey Reb! was created to represent the history of Las Vegas, people coming to the west to explore trails, mine for gold and silver, and build better lives that weren't focused on what had happened in the south. People are judging the mascot, a fiction character, based on what it looks like, the exact thing that everyone today is fighting against. 

Many people are creating false information about the history of this mascot by making it about something that it is not. Even the family of the man that created Hey Reb! has said that the mascot does not represent all the horrible injustices that people are claiming it to does. The mascot represents all the good that came from people exploring and building the west, promoting a change for a better life for those that choose to come to the west. Keeping the mascot and the name Rebels represents the students freedom to fight for the changes they want to see and what they believe is right. Rebels stands for being different, daring and diverse.