For five days we fought. For five days we did not let go. To that logo we threw every meme they had. With every drop of spit in their bodies we shouted at the top of their lungs, not for a second pulling away from the mission at hand. And on the sixth day Roth declared it no more. No more would the logo loom strange over us. Our old friend the “W” reinstated once again.
SO LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN! Let the second wave of memes spread across the land. The message has indeed been received, and with it we remember the power of our voices. We mustn’t stop now though.
Please remember that $1 million was still spent on this redesign. Even though the logo is being reverted back it doesn’t mean there are issues still on this campus that the $1M would have much better served. Don’t let this little victory distract from the greater issues that loom large over our experience here both as current students and soon to be alums.
In exciting news, however, Roth, in his all school email announcing the retirement of the “new” logo, stated the administration anticipates opening up the process to accept student designs. This is incredibly exciting news, and as stated in our article that came out yesterday, may actually cause the new design to be an accurate representation of the way we as students feel about our school.
Find out more about the ongoing progress here.
Roth’s email to the school:
Dear Friends:
In the week since the new “W” monogram was introduced, students, alumni, faculty and staff have expressed many opinions – some with real intensity. While we heard from some who supported the change, the responses to the new monogram have overwhelmingly been critical.
Message received. We will go back to the “W” we have been using for the last few years and rethink any changes. We will continue to use the updated Wesleyan University wordmark and academic seal (which can be viewed here).
Wesleyan Monogram Icons
Our plan now in updating the monogram is to again reach out to students, faculty, staff and alumni representatives for input. In fact, we have already received some interesting suggestions, and we anticipate part of this process will be an open call for designs. We have set up this page for the Wesleyan community to find more information, track the process and send in thoughts and ideas.
Our goal is to represent, in images and words, the best of Wesleyan – in scholarship and the arts, in athletics and civic engagement. A monogram should not distract from that effort. We welcome your help in coming up with something more appropriate.
Michael S. Roth
President
Key Nuttall
Senior Vice President for External Relations
