By Aaron Rodenhausen and Sophie Kilbride
Elm Staff Writer and Opinion Editor
Washington College has become the subject of media ridicule due to an Oct 8. statement published by the College about their March logo change.
Though students had already expressed distaste for the new look last spring, press by WC Marketing and Communications has led to the negative portrayal of WC students.
As one of the oldest colleges in the United States and the first to be chartered after the country gained independence, Washington College is an institution steeped in history.
Since its establishment in 1782, WC’s identity has been defined by its unique association with George Washington who donated to its founding.
In recognition of this relationship, Washington’s own signature was featured in the school’s official logo in 2013.
However, according to a March 6 email sent last semester from the President for Marketing and Communication Brian Speer, WC would begin using a re-designed logo on their website.
Due to the originality and historical nature of the old logo, the change sparked frsutration from many students.
Speer revealed the new logo design last semester in a campus-wide email: a shield symbolizing the Washington family coat of arms.
According to previous Elm coverage, “the new logo contains a font meant to be more readable.”
However, on Oct. 8 Speer wrote a formal press release covering the logo change which not only reignited last Spring’s controversy, but thrusted the College into a viral sensation.
The new statement made news across the state and even appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
According to Speer’s statement, “Because cursive writing is no longer taught universally in K-12 education, the script…was difficult to read and not immediately recognizable for many prospective students.”
Speer’s press release echoed the College’s earlier reasoning as to the motives behind the logo change.
While the College has cited cursive as a motivator for updating the logo for months, media sources grabbed hold of Speer’s recent release and launched inquiries into the quality of WC’s education.
Many students fear the media attention will lower the bar for potential applicants — especially considering that the College’s name was visible in print below the cursive.
“Damn! If only there was some sort of institution of learning that could help people understand words,” Colbert said in response to WC students not being able to read cursive in an episode of “The Late Show.”
Negative public reception of Speer’s recent press statement led to the creation of a student petition on Change.org in order to advocate for a return to the older logo. The petition gained nearly fifty signatures in just three days.
“Not only does this discard a crucial part of our school’s history, it also puts the student body in an inappropriate light, painting us as unable to read cursive and thus perceived as illiterate in a school of literature — an unjust and damaging presumption,” the petitioner said on Change.org.
Despite public outcry and upset students who pointed out that that they could, in fact, read cursive, the College has stood by its decision.
“The change in the logo is not frivolous. How a new design is received is subjective, and we understand that,” Speer said in another post on the College’s website, responding to the controversy.
According to Speer, the “goal has been to increase applications and enrollment by implementing new recruitment and marketing strategies, and the logo change is part of that overarching plan…[and] it’s working. Last year our applications saw a 41% increase.”
Speer also ensured that the signature would remain as a graphic element in marketing materials as they are sustainably rolled out over the coming year.
When asked to comment on the situation, Speer took care to emphasize that “the signature logo had only been in use since 2013, while the Washington family crest, which is the hallmark of the new logo, has been part of our college seal for much of our history. Using the crest creates a deeper connection to the history of the College and the ties to our namesake.”
WC has upheld its decision to update the logo as a pragmatic one, even though these changes have been largely unpopular since their announcement last Spring.
By moving ahead with the logo and stirring up increased press attnetion, the College has only succeeded in designing a disliked logo while shifting scrutiny onto students and the quality of their education.
Photo courtesy of Washington College website.
Photo Caption: The Washington College logo features George Washington’s family crest and shield.