From its founding in 1965 to its peculiar banana slug mascot, UC Santa Cruz has long rebuffed collegiate convention. The university’s founding faculty established a school that rebuked the social conservatism and deep injustices pervasive in the 1950s and ‘60s, while also providing its students with the resources for iconoclastic, innovative academics. The banana slug mascot also goes against the usual college sports grain; instead of choosing a fierce mascot, UCSC students liked the relaxed nature of the slug.