University of Denver Makes ‘Pioneer’ Nickname Optional on ID Cards for Offended Students

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.

According to a report by The College Fix, students at the University of Denver are now able to request a politically correct version of their student ID card. The report includes confirmation from a University of Denver spokesperson that the new policy allows students to request an identification card that omits the “pioneer” nickname, which some find offensive.

“In yet another stunning move, DU is now issuing University ID cards which lack the ‘Pioneer Card’ header that had previously been on the cards, as depicted in the above photos. Since at least 2006, DU had issued ‘Pioneer Cards’ to all students, faculty and staff as DU’s official identity and access card. This decision effectively severs the most visual, tangible and authoritative Pioneer nickname linkage between the University and the cardholding DU community,” an independent news outlet, LetsGoDU, wrote at the end of August.

This isn’t the first attempt by the University of Denver to remold their culture in the eyes of leftist student activists. LetsGoDU, which is published by Tim Thompson, claims that the University of Denver recently removed the “pioneer” nickname from a 94-year-old award ceremony that takes place annually on campus.

This move appears to be another in a coordinated series of DU-initiated steps to remove the word “Pioneer” from common campus usage. Just a few months ago, DU changed the 94-year old Pioneer Awards to Crimson and Gold Awards and a few weeks ago, DU changed the Pioneer Passage freshman orientation program to “New Student Convocation”. Each of these changes has been made despite DU Board of Trustees 2018 assurances that DU would in fact, retain the Pioneer nickname.

Schools around the country have been killing off mascots and nicknames at the behest of students. Breitbart News reported in August that George Washington University is quietly removing references to its popular “Colonials” mascot after a group of students and faculty members argued that it is offensive.

In September 2018, Breitbart News reported that California State Long Beach was removing its “Prospector Pete” mascot after an activist group within the community argued that it represented genocide against Native Americans.