Sure but what’s the beloved symbol? As an alum the idea of a WWI doughboy being a symbol of the school is a recent idea and mostly the work of retconning lol. I can’t say most of the alumni talk to would go to war over the idea of a WWI imagery. Let’s be honest Fighting Illini was associated with Native American imagery until like that Beckman rebrand. You don’t go to school for the symbol but that connection has to be made when you’re at school usually. And I don’t think anyone will care about WWI as a student sorry to say. It’s a football game not the history channel.University symbols mean much more to the alumni than to students. I don't remember a single person during my student year, nor during my kids' time choosing colleges stating that the symbol of the university under consideration mattered even one iota. Alums on the other hand, will go to war for their beloved symbol.