Holy Cross newspaper ditches 'Crusader' name

Grant Welker The College of the Holy Cross is considering renaming its mascot, currently called the Crusader.

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By Grant Welker

The student newspaper at College of the Holy Cross will no longer be called The Crusader, which shared a name with a publication of the Ku Klux Klan.

The newspaper will now be called The Spire, a name it said pays homage to the towers of Fenwick Hall at the center of campus.

The change was announced Friday by the newspaper and comes as the college itself is considering also moving away from the Crusader name for athletics. The concern among students and faculty is the name evokes religious wars of long ago and no longer fits with the college in the modern day.

A committee has been formed to study the issue and present to President Philip Boroughs a report on input from the public regarding the name.

The issue of the Crusader name was first raised by a committee looking into the name of Mulledy Hall, named in memory of the college founder, the Rev. Thomas Mulledy, who had ties to slavery.

Holy Cross said last year both the Crusader name and the athletics logo, of a knight with a sword and shield, could be changed.

The first change has taken place at the newspaper, which said it made the decision independently of the college's process.

“Holy Cross’ crusader, as a motif and concept, has been synonymous with the school since 1925, when it was adopted as its official symbol," the newspaper said in an editorial Friday. "Men and women have been proud to call themselves Holy Cross Crusaders for nearly a century. The decision to break with that tradition, then, was not taken lightly or hastily.”

Changing the newspaper's name was done based on the association of the Crusader name with the wars of the same name, not with the KKK publication, The Spire said.

“No matter how long ago the Crusades took place, this paper does not wish to be associated with the massacres (i.e. burning synagogues with innocent men, women, and children inside) and conquest that took place therein," the paper's editorial said.

"The name change is most certainly not about appeasing faculty or creating ‘safe spaces,’ but rather it ensures that our extraordinary newspaper can continue to provide a platform for all students at the College of the Holy Cross," it added.

Boroughs commended the newspaper's decision in a statement, perhaps foreshadowing his decision on the college's Crusaders nickname.

“Without weighing in on the merits, I commend the student editors, who made a difficult decision after a process of research, reflection and open dialogue," he said. "While their process was separate from the one through which the College is examining the Crusader moniker and mascot, it reflects the thoughtful, informed and open manner by which we engage complex issues at Holy Cross.”