(FreedomBeacon.com)- George Washington University announced last week that the school is retiring its iconic “Colonials” name and mascot, claiming the name has caused “division” on campus.
The university’s special committee determined that the GWU community is “sharply divided” over the nickname. While alumni were more in favor of keeping the name, current students were not.
The committee concluded that supporters saw “Colonials” as a reference to those who lived in the colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War. But opponents felt the name conveyed “colonizers” who stole the land from “indigenous peoples,” plundered its resources, and brought slaves to the New World.
Despite the committee finding a near-50/50 split, it opted to come down on the side of the perpetually offended, explaining that given the “harm” and “offense” of the nickname among half the “community,” it no longer serves as a name that unifies.
Just once don’t you wish these university officials would just tell the perpetually offended to calm down and suck it up?
In a press release last week, GWU president Mark Wrighton expressed excitement over the prospect of changing the school’s nickname to something more “inclusive.”
But not everyone likes the idea.
The university’s College Republicans blasted GWU. In a statement last week, the College Republicans argued that the “Colonials” moniker honors those who fought “against tyrannical colonialism” to establish the United States. Rather than being advocates of colonialism, the colonials fought to end foreign rule.
The College Republicans also warned that ridding the school of its nickname could “snowball,” opening the door for changing the name of George Washington University itself.
They have a point. People are already demanding statues of Washington and other founders be removed. It isn’t that much of a stretch to assume the same students who objected to “Colonials” will find offense at attending a university named for George Washington.
The “Colonials” name won’t be mothballed overnight. It is expected the University will come up with a new, more “inclusive” nickname in the next year.
How about “Snowflakes?”
