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A Pennsylvania university is searching for a new mascot and nickname to replace its longtime “Crusaders” moniker, which the school says is “at odds” with its “values and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.”Susquehanna University is asking people to submit their top choices for a replacement by Jan. 25. The top contenders — which might include the Bobcarts or River Otters — will then be submitted to the university president, who will in turn present them to the school’s board of trustees, a university spokeswoman told FoxNews.com Tuesday.The school’s board of trustees voted in October to replace the Crusader name, after consulting with alumni, students, faculty and staff.The Crusader name, which was first used by a Philadelphia sports writer in 1924, was a reference to then-Susquehanna athletic director Luther Grossman’s “crusade” to bring integrity to intercollegiate athletics.“Many critics of the term Crusader feel that connotations of the word — related to the medieval Crusaders who used violence in the name of religion — are at odds with the university’s increasing diversity and its commitment to embracing and respecting difference,” the school said in a statement obtained by FoxNews.com.“Moreover, many students have long indicated a desire for an unambiguous mascot that they could rally behind,” the school said.In June, the Board of Trustees asked President L. Jay Lemons to engage in a conversation with the school community about the name and mascot, and to return to them with a recommendation as to whether to keep Crusader or make a change.According to the school, Lemons carefully listened to input from students, alumni, staff and faculty over the next several months and decided the name and mascot should be changed.“Symbols are important and powerful,” he wrote in his recommendation to the board. “An institution’s mascot and nickname should be beloved and unifying symbols,” he noted, adding that has not been the case with the Susquehanna Crusader for some time.
How about "Pansies"?
Will the madness never stop?
