Crusader Name

Dear Holy Cross Alumni,

At the end of last semester I said that we would be undertaking a conversation about the Crusader moniker and mascot this fall. As you may remember, the question of the appropriateness of the Crusader name and mascot was raised in the 2016 report by the Mulledy Healy Legacy Committee, which was charged with coordinating and summarizing a discussion about the name of Mulledy Hall in light of Fr. Mulledy’s ties to slavery. We will be moving forward with this discussion over the next few months, and I wanted to let you know how we will be approaching the process.

To facilitate our dialogue, I have convened a working group of alumni, faculty, staff and students to design and implement a process that engages the Holy Cross community, both on campus and from afar, in a discussion about the following question:

In what ways do you think the Crusader moniker and mascot are appropriate, or inappropriate, representations of the College, given our mission, values and identity?

I have asked Dan Kim, Vice President for Communications to chair this working group. The full list of members is below.

Dan Kim, Vice President for Communications, Chair
Tess Andrekus ’18, Officer of Diversity, Student Government Association
Brian Duggan ’96, President of the Holy Cross Alumni Association and member of Board of Trustees
Kristyn Dyer ’94, Director of Alumni Relations
Rev. Paul Harman, S.J., Director of Special Projects in Mission
Ed O’Donnell ‘86, Professor, History
Marcellis Perkins ’19, member of the Men’s Basketball team
Rose Shea ‘87, Associate Director of Athletics
Brenda Hounsell Sullivan, Director of Office of Student Involvement, Assistant Dean
I have charged the group with creating opportunities for students and families, faculty, staff and alumni to participate in the dialogue. The working group will then create a report and summary of findings to be reviewed by the Board of Trustees at the February board meeting. The working group will not be making a recommendation or suggesting any particular course of action.

The Crusader name is an undeniable part of Holy Cross’ history. It has been in use since 1920, when the College first used it in reference to the athletic teams. Since then, students have adopted the name for their own clubs and organizations, even in representing our community as ‘Sader Nation. And, unlike many mascots, the Crusader has a direct link to our religious identity.

At the same time, we acknowledge our responsibility to thoughtfully examine the sensitivities and implications this name may bear. We look forward to conducting a thorough, inclusive dialogue that invites participation by all members of our community.

The working group has developed an online submission form for comments, which I encourage you all to utilize. The working group will also schedule two or more live discussion sessions for the College community this semester. A webpage has been set up to provide background and direction for submitting comments. After receiving all of this input, the working group will submit its report to me in January. I will present the summary report and all of the comments to the Board at its February meeting, and anticipate that we will come to a conclusion at that time about the use of the moniker and mascot. If further action is required, the Board will decide next steps.

I am looking forward to a thoughtful and engaged discussion and am confident that the Board will carefully reflect upon the information presented and thoughtfully discern the question before them when they meet in February.

Sincerely,
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.
President

Today and everyday is a great day to be a Crusader!!

#LetsWin          #Pride

η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ

I think it is our duty to be proactive about this and submit many positive comments to the working group. Looking at the individuals in the working group, I cannot see them presenting anything which would lend to or suggest changing our name. That being said, we can look at this from a marketing stand point. North Dakota spent over $100,000 to change the logos and nicknames around campus and on merchandise.

www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/university-north-dakota-spending-obscene-amount-money-nickname-transition/

From a historical perspective, we are and have been the Crusaders for nearly a century. From a religious perspective, we can't allow 21st century hermeneutics and sensitivity to cloud the historical significance of the Crusaders. Last but certainly not least, the word "crusader" has become part of common lexicon. One could be a crusader for justice or equality, for example.

Let's flood them with good comments! #WeWill η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ

Dumb!

Kudos....well stated.

Friends of Crusader Football : A commitment to excellence in helping the Crusaders win on and off the field.

We bow to nobody.

η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ

Jouts. . . wow. Thank you for sharing. That Battle of Lepanto is a phenomenal read. I was struck particularly by this line: 

"Pope Pius V, who had commanded the faithful to pray the rosary for victory, was convinced that it was prayer that had turned the tide. The Battle of Lepanto became the feast day of Our Lady of Victory, later of Our Lady of the Rosary." 

Outstanding. 

A great day to be a Crusader. 

Is there any doubt that our faith and Christian principles are very much under assault today? No time to turn weasel and seek appeasement.

#WWJD     
 

Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.


www.gotquestions.org/take-up-your-cross.html

And what name is applied to those who "take up the cross and follow Him?"

CRUSADERS 

Interesting. So you ASSUME the decision has already been made and this process is window dressing.

Notwithstanding my own opinions on the matter, I predict the decision will be made to move away from the Crusader image and moniker on the grounds that it 'might be offensive to some'.

Can I add that to my Week 5 PL Pick'em?

Clearly most folks think the fix is in. Fascinated what about behavior/decisions at HC under Fr. Boroughs leads them to assume this.

Please share the results of your survey. Thanks