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My alma mater continues to go broke for woke.
George Washington University announced Wednesday that it will drop its “Colonials” moniker following student complaints that it represents colonialism, imperialism, and systemic oppression.
“The board recognizes the significance of changing the university’s moniker, and we made this decision only after a thoughtful and deliberate process that followed the renaming framework and special committee recommendation that considered the varying perspectives of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and athletics community,” said GWU Board of Trustees Chairwoman Grace Speights in a press release. “A moniker must unify our community, draw people together and serve as a source of pride. We look forward to the next steps in an inclusive process to identify a moniker that fulfills this aspiration.”
University President Mark Wrighton added, “While some may disagree with the outcome, this process has determined that changing the moniker is the right decision for our university.”
Wrong. Actually, this is a disgraceful and profoundly misguided move.
George Washington was one of the Founding Fathers who led the 13 colonies to be free from colonialism. After all, it was Great Britain, not the United States, that was the colonizing power. Washington and his fellow colonists successfully fought the power that taxed and oppressed them without representation in Parliament. He oversaw the Constitutional Convention, where America’s democratic principles were created. As such, the “Colonials” name should be a source of pride. That was certainly the case when I was a GWU student. For me, it remains the case.
Unfortunately, this announcement was likely inevitable.
In 2019, the student section at GWU’s home court went from being called the “Colonial Army” to “George’s Army.” The Student Services Hub was changed from “Colonial Central.” And an event was changed from “Coffee with Colonials” to “Coffee with Alumni.”
This latest development has only exemplified how inmate students are running the asylum. Only 538 students signed the petition calling on the university to change the moniker. Does the absence of the rest indicate that many more students opposed this move but were fearful of offending the minions of woke orthodoxy? There are 27,800 undergraduate and graduate students at GWU. In other words, the university’s leadership kowtowed to the 1.9% that signed the petition.
The development sets a bad precedent. What is to stop the university from changing its name?
To quote Washington: “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” GWU has no good excuses for this sham of moral virtue. It should reverse this decision immediately, both for the sake of Washington’s legacy and that of the university community.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
