“The block ‘S’ represents all of us, every department and all of the students,” Perles said. “I’m for the block ‘S,’ there’s a lot of history behind it and I’d like to see it stay.”

Perles recently wrote an email and posted it to the MSU Football Players Association website, encouraging others to protest the change alongside him. The Spartan helmet logo, he said, represents the football team first and foremost and leaves out others at MSU, including non-football related students and alumni, as well as women.

Heather Swain, vice president for CABS, said the Spartan helmet logo is one of many logos employed by MSU and that each serve a purpose. The Spartan helmet, said Swain, is more recognizable than the block “S,” which is comparable to other universities’ logos.

“The Spartan helmet is the primary graphic mark identifying the university,” Swain said. “It has come to be recognized in Michigan, across the United States, and around the world as a distinctive symbol of MSU and what it means to be a Spartan. At a glance, (it) is distinctive, memorable and clearly identifiable with Michigan State University.”

Although Alumni Association officials could not be reached for comment Monday, Swain said CABS has encountered little resistance from alumni.

“The letter announcing the change was sent to all alumni who currently own a block ‘S’ plate Oct. 22 by the director of the MSU Alumni Association,” Swain said. “Only 25 alumni have contacted the Alumni Association after receiving the letter, and the vast majority of those plan to switch to the new plate.”

Drivers with the block “S” license plate who would like to keep the logo still have the opportunity to do so when renewing their registration. The block “S” logo license plate will also be available for purchase until Feb. 1. After that, only the helmet logo plate will be sold because of Department of State rules that limit the number of specialty plates available to an organization.