The George Washington University “Colonials” will soon be no more: the college announced on Wednesday that it’s officially dropping its long-held moniker, which has been criticized for glorifying colonialism, slavery, and racial discrimination.

The news was first reported by GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet.

GW’s Board of Trustees decided to remove the moniker following years of student activism on the subject and a review that began in 2020. The moniker will remain in place until the 2023-24 academic year, when the board expects to pick a replacement, according to a press release from the university.

“The board … ultimately determined that given the division among the community about the moniker, it can no longer serve its purpose as a name that unifies,” the release says.

Calls to change the moniker – which was adopted about 100 years ago following an editorial from the Hatchet – started as early as 2018, when student activist launched a petition opposing the moniker that gathered about 550 signatures. Then, students voted to approve a 2019 referendum in favor of changing the name – that same year, officials assembled a student task force meant to research the impact of the moniker and to establish a framework to address name changes.

GW President Thomas LeBlanc announced in 2020 the formation of a Special Committee on the Colonials Moniker made up of students, faculty, and alumni to continue review of the name change. Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, also a GW professor, chaired the committee.

The committee factored in how the name did not match the university’s values, the history of the term “colonial,” and even George Washington himself rejecting the word, among other considerations, according to the press release.

“’The Colonial’ has been how we’ve identified as a campus for almost a century now,” Hayley Margolis, a leader for the Anything But Colonial Coalition, told the GW Hatchet. “We’ve learned to celebrate it, we’ve learned to embrace it, so part of this conversation is going to be unlearning that.”

Students have floated possible alternative mascots like the “Hippos,” “Riverhorses,” and “Revolutionaries,” The Hatchet has reported. GW has used The Hippo as an unofficial mascot since 1996, but registering the Hippo logo as a trademark proved difficult, leading to Hippo merchandise and marketing being phased out.

Next steps to establish a new moniker include forming another special advisory committee, soliciting engagement and input from the GW community, and selecting a firm to partner with GW for creative recommendations, per the release. For now, the university is stuck in a bit of an identity crisis.