Readers’ pick: Revolutionaries

There’s something in the air at GW. No, not the sweet scent of spring – it’s the Blue Fog.

Yes, Blue Fog. Two words that, when you first saw them together, probably made you go “Oh, what?” I certainly wasn’t impressed – like many students, I wanted some form of Hippos to replace the Colonials moniker. And when officials removed Hippos from the running in January, I briefly felt sparks for Fireworks.

But now, Blue Fog has risen to the top among GW’s other final moniker options – Ambassadors, Revolutionaries and Sentinels. So in the words of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, how do I love thee, Blue Fog? Let me count the ways.

While Blue Fog initially seemed like a workshopped version of the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, it’s an unmistakable homage to the University. “Blue Fog” combines our continental color scheme of Buff and Blue with GW’s location in Foggy Bottom. And while I’m not so sure about making fog into a backronym for “Friends of George” to celebrate the moniker’s tie to GW’s namesake, the Blue Fog’s versatility only demonstrates its many connections to GW.

There’s nothing so special about Revolutionaries, Ambassadors or Sentinels that makes them unmistakably GW. Sure, they focus on themes of history, patriotism and public service, but I don’t want to rev it up, engage in diplomacy or stand watch over GW – it’s the Blue Fog or bust.

And for good or ill, Revolutionaries, Ambassadors and Sentinels all imply the same sense of gravitas and history that Colonials did. Revolutionaries and Sentinels conjure up images of muskets and tricorn hats, and Ambassadors is a narrow, suit-and-tie interpretation of what GW has to offer.

The chance to pick a new moniker comes once in a lifetime, so why can’t we have something fun? The Blue Fog is delightfully out there, but it’s still grounded in the University’s past and present.

There’s something beautiful about a misty morning on campus or a monument walk on a gloomy night. The fog of Foggy Bottom and the Buff and Blue of GW are experiences that bind us together no matter who we are or where we come from. We can’t all be revolutionaries, ambassadors and sentinels – but we can all be part of the Blue Fog.