To kick off the beginning of school, there have been many changes at Fairfield University including the new look of the Stag mascot, which was first presented to the Class of 2019 on Aug. 31.

While Lucas the Stag is still the same color, the main differences now are that he has a hat, big antlers and more furious eyes, making the stag's facade more intense and intimidating overall. As a result, the stag has become more marketable for future students and athletes specifically.

“The old stag was generally more innocent looking, and the stronger mascot makes our team look a lot tougher now. I think it was time to change the stag and give a new face to Fairfield. It also matches our logo a little bit better and it's more cohesive with the overall brand,” Patricia Cordischi, a sophomore at Fairfield, said.

Updating the mascot’s appearance coincides with the other improvements that are taking place around campus. Fairfield sophomore Alexia Ferreira explained, “It goes hand-in-hand with the construction of the RecPlex because the mascot could garner up more school spirit and get people excited which is good for cheering at sporting events."

There is also a new campaign that will be starting up called Stags Rising and according to Cordischi, "I believe the new mascot was one of the big kickoff changes.”

Though the brand will definitely be a beneficial factor for Fairfield athletics, some of the students miss the more friendly and cuter looking stag.

“The earlier Lucas was definitely more visually appealing. Currently, the mascot looks more like a tiger than a stag. Although more anatomically correct than the last edition of Lucas, the second version's realness appears too aggressive for my liking. The old Lucas was a character that children would be able to approach for a photo opportunity. If I was a child, and I saw the new Lucas, I would be more afraid than excited,” sophomore Dale Klingensmith said.

You can follow Lucas the Stag at his website called #LucasOnTheLoose and you will even be able to see him showing off at "The Today Show" on Sept. 16.