Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia, announced this week that it is reevaluating its “wasp” mascot over concerns that it does not support the university’s promotion of “diversity and inclusion.” The mascot was allegedly deemed offensive by some over its loose relationship with the term “WASP,” or white anglo-saxon protestant.
Students interviewed this week argued that college mascots should be replaced if students find them to be offensive. A few students even argued that mascots should be replaced if they offend even just one student.
Student activists at San Antonio College are fighting to destroy the new mascot that was introduced by administrators last year. The activists claim that the college’s new Masked Ranger mascot should be replaced because it represents “Mexican-American oppression.”
The University of Illinois student government is offering a “buyback” of “racist” merchandise featuring the school’s former mascot, Chief Illiniwek. The students hope to do its part in removing the so-called “outdated and racist imagery from campus.”
The University of Denver quietly instituted a new policy that would allow students to remove the nickname “pioneer” from their ID card if they found it offensive.
George Washington University has quietly begun removing references to its “Colonials” mascot after students argued earlier this year that the mascot represents “oppression.”
Students at the University of Miami recently signed a fake petition in favor of banning the school’s “Hurricanes” mascot because it is offensive.
George Washington University officials have yet to comment on a recent student referendum that called for the end of the university’s “Colonials” mascot, despite the vote occuring almost two months ago.
