George Mason University decided to allocate half a million dollars towards creating an embarrassingly ugly and extremely unpopular new logo, along with more than five million for the implementation of this rebranding project. 

Students criticize the new logo for being “lifeless,” “sad and bland,” “corporate,” “such a downgrade,” “basic and generic,” “the worst logo in college sports,” etc.. 

Students and alumni recognize that decisions like this are made by board members who are vastly disconnected from the student body. Decisions that impact student life and university culture should be made by consulting students and alumni. 

It is no secret that GMU is known as one of the unhappiest universities in the country. There are a plethora of issues causing student unhappiness and driving future students away from the university. With tuition rising, parking services bleeding students dry, classrooms and residence halls in terrible condition, dining halls falling apart, DEI funding cuts, etc., it is disheartening to see Mason leadership carelessly spending our tuition dollars on pointless and unpopular projects rather than addressing issues we care about.

We call upon the university administration to reconsider this rebranding before even more of our tuition dollars are wasted. The voices of the student body and broader community must be heard and respected in matters of changing the school culture and of financial stewardship.

If rebranding is necessary, why not let students have a say? Perhaps allowing students to submit logo ideas for a democratic vote would ensure the new logo represents the identity of the GMU (not “GM”) community. That would massively cut costs, and yield better results!