George Washington University to drop ‘offensive’ Colonials nickname

George Washington University, responding to years of pressure from student activists, will stop using its “Colonials” nickname by the 2023-24 academic year, the school announced Wednesday. 

The nearly 100-year-old moniker will remain in use until a new name is determined. The “Colonials” nickname was introduced in 1926 to honor George Washington, but it came under fire in recent years after critics argued the name glorified racism, slavery and colonialism. 

The decision was made official Wednesday morning in a vote by the university’s Board of Trustees. 

“I was impressed by the principled and collaborative approach of the special committee, and it was clear this process was driven by research and robust engagement with the community,” George Washington University President Mark S. Wrighton said in a press release. “While some may disagree with the outcome, this process has determined that changing the moniker is the right decision for our university.”

A special committee that was formed in 2020 to determine if the name should be changed concluded that “the Colonials moniker does not adequately match the values of GW and can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies the community.”

The move to drop “Colonials” picked up steam after 2018, when students launched a petition that called the nickname “extremely offensive.” Activists criticized the moniker as a hurtful reminder of the international legacy of colonialism, including slavery and racial discrimination.

“We have evolved over our 200 years as an institution and a community,” Christopher Alan Bracey, university provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a press release. “Today, the moniker no longer does the work that a moniker should — namely, unifying the campus behind our academic and athletic institutional aspirations.”

The news Wednesday comes one year after the school also changed the name of its student center to remove the reference to Cloyd Heck Marvin, a former school president who advocated for segregation. Also, student leaders changed the name of George Washington’s fan section from Colonial Army to George’s Army three years ago.

“Hippos,” “Revolutionaries” and “Riverhorses” have been mentioned as potential replacement nicknames, according to the GWU school paper, The Hatchet. 

Tanya Vogel, the university’s director of athletics, said she understands that some George Washington fans will be “disappointed” by the decision.

“I know some people will be disappointed today, but we see this as a tremendous opportunity to come together, share our experiences and consider what is important to our GW community as we launch the new moniker development process,” Ms. Vogel said in the press release. 

Some familiar with the school’s founding and history have argued that the namesake of GWU himself would have been unhappy with the “Colonials” nickname, which was adopted by administrators in 1926.

Phillip Troutman, an assistant professor of writing and history at GWU, wrote in a February op-ed in the school paper that, “George Washington never used the term ’colonial’ to describe himself or his Continental Army. To him, ’colonial’ was a pejorative term describing British power over Anglo-American subjects who thought of themselves as British citizens.”

District sports fans are more than accustomed to nickname changes, of course.

Seven years after he said he would “never” rename the Washington Redskins, team owner Dan Snyder bowed to pressure from business partners and social activists and dropped the franchise’s historic nickname in 2020. Washington officially unveiled “Commanders” as the replacement for “Redskins” in February after two seasons without a nickname.

The reassessment of sports teams’ nicknames isn’t just a District phenomenon. Across the country, teams from the high school level, through college and the professional ranks have abandoned names deemed inappropriate for modern sensibilities.

Cleveland’s MLB team dropped “Indians” in favor of “Guardians” last summer after decades of criticism about the American Indian nickname and Chief Wahoo logo.

Last year, Valparaiso University changed its nickname from “Crusaders” — a term university officials said was dropped due to being embraced by hate groups — to “Beacons.”

Other teams, though, like the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Florida State Seminoles have so far decided to keep their American Indian-related team names.