THE OFFICIAL MASCOTS OF THE CUNY PHONOLOGY FORUM

Two mascots provide the CUNY Phonology Forum with protection, comfort and intellectual stimulation.
Our protector is Pazuzu, who is such an evil demon that he drives away other evil spirits, thus protecting the CUNY Phonology Forum from the grievous harm that would otherwise surely destroy us.
We derive comfort from Leander, the friendly lion with a curly mane. His engaging personality is a constantly calmative presence. He is a huge fan of the Leander, Texas, high school football team, the Leander Lions. Go Lions!
Pazuzu and Leander are patient and intellectually engaging sounding boards as we brainstorm ideas related to the CUNY Phonology Forum. You can imagine their incredulity when we told them recently that some phonologists believe that the syllable is otiose!
Unfortunately our mascots cannot attend any of our conferences. CUNY Security will not allow them to enter the Graduate Center, undoubtedly because Pazuzu's demonic vital force would disrupt the building's feng shui. Leander is excluded because people tend to suffer paroxymal cuteness attacks when encountering him – the business of the Graduate Center would simply be paralyzed. However, they are with us in spirit whenever we meet; Pazuzu's protective energy extends to 365 Fifth Avenue, and the radius of Leander's warm persona easily encompasses the building. They both send greetings and are eager to hear the pod casts of each conference.