Franklin & Marshall College, a private institution in Pennsylvania named after Benjamin Franklin and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, is making plans to replace its two namesake mascots with one that is more “gender-neutral.” The college recently established a Mascot Working Group to gather input and come up with three new mascot proposals to present for a vote to the campus community this winter, according to its website. President Andrew Rich “has heard from students, faculty, staff, and alumni that we need a mascot that embodies our identity, brings energy to campus events, and builds a sense of pride and belonging,” the website states. Currently, the Lancaster college’s mascots are its namesakes, CBS 21 News reports. However, the college also uses the Diplomats as a nickname.
“Many already think of the diplomat as our mascot,” the college website states. “Our goal is to give it a form that is fun, gender-neutral, and full of personality—a character that sparks connection, excitement, and a sense of belonging.” According to a 2024 article in student newspaper
The College Reporter, Franklin & Marshall has not been displaying its mascots in recent years due to students’ concerns about the two Founding Fathers’ “racist views.”
Some have suggested the college also change its name. However, leaders rejected the idea in 2021,
Lancaster Online reported at the time. The new mascot committee will include the vice president of student affairs, student body president, and a group of faculty, students, staff, and alumni, the student newspaper reported recently. Franklin & Marshall also created a submission form on its website for students, employees, and alumni to propose ideas and offer feedback. Far from the first, other colleges also have gotten rid of mascots in recent years due to complaints about their being offensive.
These include Valparaiso, Northwest Nazarene, Maranatha Baptist, and Susquehanna universities all getting rid of their “Crusaders” mascots after protesters argued the name was associated with “hate groups,”
The College Fix reported in 2021. That same year, New School, a progressive, private arts university in New York, adopted a “non-binary” “social justice warrior” mascot known as Gnarls Narwhal,
The Fix reported at the time.
