Although not everyone will agree with this, after a group of people complained that the 86-year-old name was offensive, George Washington University decided to eliminate the moniker “Colonials” from its mascot. The university is located in Washington, D.C., and is a private institution that charges substantial tuitions for students to attend. On Wednesday, the school stated it would no longer use the moniker “Colonials” because the long-standing name “can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies.”
According to a survey of the school’s 7,300 students, neither side is overly concerned about the name. However, 44% of respondents to a poll said they were prepared to move on without the name Colonials, while 43% said they’d want it to stay around for one more year to battle another season.
The term’s moniker was coined as a result of its study, which revealed that the name “arose casually and haphazardly, lacking thoughtful university-wide consideration.”
The president of the University of Delaware, Mark S. Wrighton, has stated that he supports the name change. The Colonials will continue to represent the school until it finds a new moniker to replace it. It’s unclear how long it would take for this private institution to come up with a new mascot name.
The university will inform students and the community when a formal name has been chosen. For now, the university’s teams will be known as the “George Washington University Colonials.”
The decision to rename the institution came after months of survey data and public feedback. According to a statement from Wrighton, he thinks the name change is “an important step to strengthen our community.” He went on to say that “it is essential that all of our students feel proud of their university and that our campus is welcoming and inclusive to all.”
“As we embark on our third century, we must continue to lead with our values, strengths, and the diversity of the George Washington University community,” said President Wrighton. “While some may disagree with the outcome, this process has determined that changing the moniker is the right decision for our university.”
The Washington, D.C.-based institution is similarly named The George Washington University (GWU) uses the term Colonials for its sports teams. Colonial Cash is used by the school to allow students to pay for food and laundry services. Colonial Health Center is the name of the university’s medical facility. Once the new name for the institution has been decided, all of these will almost certainly need to change their names as well.
The new name is to be ready for the 2023-2024 school year, according to the institution.
“A moniker must unify our community, draw people together and serve as a source of pride,” stated Grace Speights, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees. “We look forward to the next steps in an inclusive process to identify a moniker that fulfills this aspiration.”
To assist choose the new mascot name for its university, the university is asking for input from a “broad community engagement process.”
The school has not announced what its new mascot will be, but it has promised that it will not be the eagle, which was George Washington’s personal emblem. Do you think the name “Colonials” is demeaning?
The school has not announced what its new mascot will be, but they have said that it will not be the eagle, which was George Washington’s personal emblem. Do you think the name “Colonials” is offensive?
