When walking on campus for the first time going from class to class, the koi pond is hard to miss with colorful koi swimming and the water running.
While our mascot is a Mustang, Delta showcases more than 40 koi fish in the center of the campus.
Although, having 40 mustangs besides Fierce on campus would cause a ruckus.
Fierce the Mustang will always be an iconic mascot for Delta, but what about the koi?
Should the koi have more of a presence on campus besides just being the fish of Delta?
“I believe the koi fish should be more than just fishes,” said Kaiden Gibson. “There are many schools that have two mascots and [I] believe Fierce and a Koi fish would be great friends.”
The koi have been around since the early 70’s.
Giving easy direction to those who come to Delta considering the pond is the heart of the campus.
“Well, I personally love the koi fish,” said Gibson, noting how the koi brings a sense of tranquility to students. “In Japanese culture, it can represent luck and prosperity.”
Having these fish on campus could bring luck to students, especially with exams just around the corner.
Located in the center of campus where all buildings are visible, the koi pond is a place where students gather to either sit, read, meet with friends or feed the koi.
“We don’t have many issues with students or the community on feeding our koi chips and crackers, but it’s not healthy for the koi,” said Stacy Pinola, Director of Facilities Management and Operations.
Besides the food students give the koi, the Grounds Department on campus feeds and takes care of the koi.
The koi eat special pellets to ensure they remain healthy and keep a balanced diet.
“Our Grounds Department care for the pond, clean the filters, and feed the koi,” said Pinola.
Last semester, you may have noticed a singular sign by the pond that said the words “please don’t feed the fish.”
Since then the sign has been replaced with multiple signs around the pond’s edges to give a clear message to students and the community.
“We changed the designs to ensure the safety and health of our koi pond,” said Pinola. “We wanted to get the word out to ‘please don’t feed the koi’.”
The koi pond will always be a special part of Delta, especially since the quad is where events happen and the koi happen to be there too.
Maybe in the future Delta will get more koi, but for now our koi reside in the center of the campus.
“We take great pride in our koi,” said Pinola.