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Whitman College to change its mascot name -- no more 'Go Missionaries'!

Published  April 6, 2016 4:47pm PDT
Associated Press

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) — Officials at Whitman College say they've dropped missionary as their mascot name and are working on finding a new one.

The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reports (http://goo.gl/c0vvoc ) college officials announced the decision Wednesday, citing a survey of 18,000 alumni and current students. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed reportedly said they didn't think missionary was appropriate.

Another report said opponents considered the missionary name to be "divisive and doesn't represent Whitman's commitment to inclusion."

Whitman is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla named after Northwest missionary Marcus Whitman. It was founded in 1859, and became a four-year school in 1883.

A working group of faculty, staff, students and alumni will compile a list of new mascot possibilities which will be voted on by the college community this fall.