WHAT THE HECK IS A “NULL SET” ?
The Null Set, [ ], was first recognized as the official mascot of the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) in the NCSA Constitution nearly 30 years ago.
Since then, the mascot has been known by various names (the open set, the empty set, the empty brackets, the epoché) and although it is not the mathematically correct terminology (because { } typically indicates a null set rather than brackets as used by the NCSA), the playful misnomer of “Null Set” represented by [ ] has stood the test of time.
The Null Set, [ ], refers to “‘epoché’ in phenomenology -- putting the world in brackets: draw no immediate conclusions and allow phenomena to explain themselves” (NCF Wikipedia).
As a mascot, the Null Set not only represents the unique quirks of our campus culture and community; but also emphasizes the student body’s undying passion and thirst for knowledge through ecstatic wonder and openness to diverse perspectives.
What Does It Mean?
Why do we support the Null Set?
The alums, students, and New College community continues to recognize the Null Set as the true mascot of the New College student body; as opposed to the Mighty Banyans mascot, which was selected by the new Board of Trustees and Interim President Richard Corcoran for sports marketing purposes, without input from the student body.
The Novo Collegian community supports the student body and NCSA in protecting the Null Set and recognizing its special place in the hearts of New College’s students and alums. Grab some merch to show your love for the Null Set!