George Washington University to replace controversial 'Colonials' moniker
Students said the name had a negative connotation regarding violence toward Native Americans. While a slew of professional and collegiate athletic teams have recently changed their names to do away with racially charged titles, George Washington University has joined the move by changing the nickname for its teams. Known as "Colonials," the university's sports teams were the source of controversy when students said the name had a negative connotation regarding violence toward Native Americans and other colonized people. The original list of replacement names started at 10, and in what the school is calling "Moniker Madness," the campus community has narrowed the options to four after receiving "nearly 20,000 points of feedback from the GW community," according to a news release. "It has been energizing to see so many members of the GW community participate in the development of our new moniker," said Ellen Moran, vice president for communicat...