LSU student demands school change "tigers" mascot cuz it's racist--or is it a spoof?

Did you know the tiger is "the most prevalent Confederate symbol in the U.S."?   And that having a tiger for a school's mascot is white oppression?

I didn't either, but students at LSU have started a petition complaining that the school's “Tigers” mascot is a symbol of “white oppression.”

The petition says the mascot was chosen by “powerful white males” as tribute to “a Confederate regiment called Louisiana’s Tigers.”  If that's not racist enough, the students claim the members of that regiment were “known for their propensity for violence on and off the battle field.”

According to Campus Reform the petition says “LSU named their mascot the Tigers during the height of Jim Crow--a time when black men feared for their lives and were treated as sub-human. This symbol is the most prevalent confederate symbol in the United States.”

The petition claims the mascot is “incredibly insulting” for African Americans because they have to “attend a school that honors Confederate militantism [sic].”  It concludes “We must speak truth to power, and continue to march toward justice.  The day is coming when every symbol of white oppression is torn down.”

Now tell me:  Applying everything you know about races in the U.S., is the story above real, or a spoof?  Click here to find out.

Update: here's the avatar of the black female who purportedly started this petition.