I personally thought THE RAMPARTS was a nice alternative...but it went nowhere.....

We I sent GWU an email saying essentially the same thing FQ.  I doubt is anyone was listening.  I suggest everybody send an email (you can tell how old I am) or whatever electronic messaging system you use and tell GW how you feel. 

Free Quebec wrote:

Can we just get a “None of the above. None of the above.”

A boisterous "None of the Above" chant would be a hoot
 

I believe this is pointless.  My sense is that the school concluded something to the effect of "we're always talking about giving our students a voice, and since this is something that some feel very strongly about, let's just give them this one."  Who knows whether some means 10, 100, 1,000 or 10,000, but it hardly matters.  This is a chance to show off its woke side, so let's get some positive publicity.

That said, I think they've badly miscalculated the downside.  While there may very well be an age divide on the issue, I have spoken to a number of young adults (in their 20's and 30's) who are also perplexed by this decision.  The school has done a very poor job in communicating why a change needs to be made, seemingly conflating words like Colonial and Colonialism.  We all comprehend why names like the Redskins, Indians (St. Bonaventure was once the Brown Indians and Brown Squaws) and Redmen needed to be changed.  If this change is one which is so obvious, then how come I've yet to hear about the Colonial Athletic Association or Robert Morris also doing away with Colonials?

Despite the miscalculation, the damage is done.  The school wants to have some fun with this now, bringing in a top 10 finalist group and setting up a series of events and polls to engage the entire GW community.  The problem though is if you are unhappy about this, the last thing you'd like is to be asked to have fun with this.  Wiping away a meaningful nickname and any history or traditions which accompanied this tends to dampen enthusiasm.   

   And to add to this, there wasn't much enthusiasm to begin, so we're risking wiping it out entirely.
They seem to be singing the alma mater post-game, which most here would probably have no idea how it goes--as it wasn't a thing before. But have no respect in wiping out a 100-year-old tradition, just because it
sounds like something that sounds like it could be offensive to delicate sensibilities.
    Some of the mediocre to incredibly off-putting suggestions are on the track to destroy what little loyalty is
left. And beyond a small core of students, let's face it, it's the 50 or so of us, in terms of basketball.
   A small group of students, say half of whom will transfer and won't even graduate from GW, have hijacked this issue, aided by a handful of activist professors whom anyone of any normal left, center or right persuasion, can see are a bit off in general. 
  Meanwhile, TC's point about GW alumni is spot on.
  
 

Did I miss anything at the game?  Was unable to attend but heard that a decision would be made or announced?

Ambassadors, Blue Fart or Fog, Revolutionaries, and Sentinels. None make any sense. 

Here's my guess as to what's happening:

The school was ultra sensitive over the concerns of those students who are offended by the Colonials nickname.  So in an inclusive, politically correct manner, they allowed the students to be an important part of the decision-making process.  

Then, the students came back with Blue Fog.  Like Blue Moon only with Fog.  That tracks.  The kids love it.  The school though was probably a bit embarrassed by it.  No problem..we'll pick 10 finalists and throw the students a bone by allowing Blue Fog to be one of them.  What's next...opinion polls, hold up your favorite sign at the VCU game.  Some like The Revolutionaries, some like The Ambassadors, but the students...Blue Fog!  Blue Fog!  Blue Fog!  The Blue Fog is nowhere close to being lifted.

But we're still OK says the school.  We'll narrow it down to a final 4 and the students will truly feel empowered when their choice is included.  Remember, we can only go with one.

Is the next step to pick a winner or do we all have to wait for Blue Fog and Revolutionaries to be left standing as the final 2?  The school does not want Blue Fog.  It's silly and stupid.  The students do want Blue Fog.  It's silly and stupid.

Can the students push this over the finish line?  Sadly, they are the longshot, even if they have no idea. 

The students didn't want Blue Fog, just Fog. No idea where the Blue came from. I like that it's out of the box but I recognize many of you disagree. As a student I haven't felt like they've weighed our opinions more than any other group. FWIW the general reaction my friends have had is that none of the options are particularly good. The people filling out the feedback forms and whatnot are the ones that pay attention to the sports teams from what I can tell. I am afraid that the marketing firm or whatever has outsized influence for a group of people who the decision ultimately doesn't affect

I would bet all my money that its Revolutionaries.  Its always been Revolutionaries.  This whole marketing thing is a farce to try to drum up interest in something most people don't care about before they name the choice they landed on in the very beginning.  Its embarrassing.  Every part of it.  

They should have just gone with Buff and Blue.  But this is what happens when your can't keep a University President, and the rest of the administration and athletics department are incompetent.  You throw away all tradition to come up with something that doesn't fit the university to solve a problem that didn't really exist.