George Washington University’s moniker may not be a Colonial for much longer.

On Monday, GW President Thomas LeBlanc announced in a letter that the school will be reviewing the moniker “Colonial,” after the Board of Trustees’ Naming Task Force concluded that the name “stood apart as an issue of great concern.”

The university is forming a committee specifically tasked with determining if the school should move forward with renaming efforts. Headed up by GW law professor and Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, the committee will feature students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

The letter also notes that this review does not mean that there’s a guarantee of a name change.

A spokesperson for the university told DCist over email that the review comes after “the Colonials moniker has been raised several times during recent years by students, including at recent community town halls held this spring.” The spokesperson declined to provide a concrete timeline for the review, instead saying that the “committee will be expected to work expeditiously.”

The moniker was first adopted nearly a century ago at the recommendation of an editorial from the school newspaper The Hatchet (which still exists today), according to the university’s website. The op-ed noted that, since the school is named after George Washington and its colors of buff (yellowish-brown) and blue were that of the Continental Army, it only made sense that it had the nickname “Colonials.” The editorial also makes the case that that the university, which was founded in 1821, was established during what was still considered the “colonial” era.

However, in recent years, there have been continued calls to change the nickname, particularly from the school’s student body, over concerns that the term refers to colonization, oppression, genocide, racism, and ethnic violence. When a petition circulated in the spring of 2018 to change the moniker, students told the Hatchet that the term was not representative of what the school stood for.

“Colonialist, terrorist, murderer. In a lot of places that’s what colonials mean to people,” said one student. “Why would we continue to call ourselves that?”

In years past, several alternative monikers have been proposed, including “Revolutionaries,” “Riverhorses,” and “Hippos,” after the beloved bronze statue that sits outside of the Lisner Auditorium.

During recent months, there has been headway on changing names, logos, and monikers long considered by many to be outdated, offensive, and racist, especially in the realm of professional sports. The Washington NFL team announced last week that it was changing its name from a dictionary-defined racial slur (the team has yet to announce the new name), while the Cleveland baseball team also is considering a name change.

In addition to “Colonials,” GW is also reviewing the possibility of renaming the student union from memorializing former university president Cloyd Heck Marvin. Even back in 1971, when the student union was first named, giving Marvin the honor was considered controversial. Marvin supported segregation and stamped out student freedom of speech protests.

This story has been updated with a statement from George Washington University, and corrected to clarify the school is considering changing its moniker, not mascot.