University is the only NCAA Division I institution whose mascot is the peacock. This choice was made for several reasons. Primarily, the land on which Saint Peter's now stands was once owned by a man named Michiel Reyniersz Pauw, whose last name means "peacock" in Dutch. His extensive holdings included most of Hudson County and were part of the Pavonia, New Netherland settlement.
In pagan mythology, the peacock is considered to be a symbol of rebirth, much like the phoenix. For Saint Peter's, it is a reference to the closing and reopening of the college in the early 20th century.
At one point in the 1960s, live peacocks roamed the campus. Many institutions within the college derive their name from the peacock:
The school newspaper had been titled the Pauw Wow until April 2021, when it was renamed as the St. Peter's Tribune; Pauw's name was removed because of his involvement in "cruelty and oppression against Indigenous and African peoples".
The literary magazine is titled the Pavan.
The school's yearbook is …
