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BOV unveils logo

Seated in cushioned leather chairs around a U-shaped, green marble table fit for a United Nations meeting, the College’s Board of Visitors, as well as other observers, were treated to something long awaited by fans, faculty and the student body: the College’s new logo.

Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler, the chair of the logo committee, unveiled four new looks, all of them variations on a “W&M” design.

“[The new logo is] evolutionary, not revolutionary,” Sadler said.
The logos featured the colors green and gold, as opposed to the green and yellow color scheme that was used in the College’s logo since 1987.

“We think green and gold ought to be our colors,” Sadler said. “They have been our colors. And we had strayed way away from that.”

Noticeably absent from all four logos was any mention of the name “Tribe.”

“[That’s] because it’s an existing logo,” Athletic Director Terry Driscoll said, referring to the current script “Tribe” logo in use by many of the College’s sports teams.

The unveiling was preceded by comments from Rector Michael Powell and College President Gene Nichol. Both praised the work of the committee.

The next step in the process will be implementing the new logo, stamping it on everything from apparel to admissions materials to team uniforms. Nichol said that an implementation committee is being formed to handle this process.

Sadler said that one of the committee’s main goals was to create a look for the College that was distinctive, identifiable and very much its own, in the same way that Harvard University has the “H” logo.

“Our committee said it needs to be instantly recognizable as William and Mary, whatever the symbol is,” Sadler said. “And it should reflect the traditions and history of the institution.”

BOV member John Charles Thomas expressed his disapproval of the logo’s colors, stating during the meeting that the secondary color looked more like brown than it did gold. Sadler and others attributed this to the poor quality of the printer that produced handouts of the logo for BOV members.

For the most part, however, the reaction from those in attendance seemed to be positive.

“We may be featherless, but we’re still flying,” Powell said.

As of press time, 558 people had already joined the Facebook group “Students Against the New W&M Logo.”