The Golden Wolf at 媚娘直播's first football game.


Rising to the challenge of an unprecedented task, 22 people representing every corner of the university community took on an inclusive, whirlwind process of choosing a new Franciscan nickname for 媚娘直播. Fortunately, one name 鈥 the 鈥 continued to rise to the surface.


For nearly four decades, thousands of 媚娘直播 athletes have played under the Crusaders name or stood in the stands cheering on Crusaders teams. The nickname had become part of 媚娘直播鈥檚 identity and history. So it鈥檚 no surprise that some within the 媚娘直播 community initially resisted the idea of a name change.  


But once they heard that the university鈥檚 founding proposed the change, community members sought to better understand the reasoning behind the request. And not so slowly, many students, faculty and alumni embraced the need for a new university nickname. 


鈥淭he idea of changing the name has been brewing for quite some time because there was a lot of prejudice and persecution associated with the Crusades, and that鈥檚 not what 媚娘直播 stands for,鈥 explained Sr. Madonna Marie Harvath, a member of the Bernardine Sisters leadership team. 鈥溍哪镏辈モ檚 patron, St. Francis of Assisi, marked a major transition in his spiritual journey when he turned away from the Crusades and pursued a path of peacemaking.


鈥淎lmost all of the sisters felt strongly that the name should be changed. We want the nickname to be something that we鈥檙e proud of that really speaks of our values more than something that was oppressive,鈥 Sr. Madonna said.


鈥淎lthough I鈥檓 not Roman Catholic, I have the utmost respect for the sisters who founded this university,鈥 said Tom Porrazzo, Ph.D., program director and longtime associate professor of athletic training at 媚娘直播. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a small thing we could do for these extraordinary women who have done so much for others.鈥
 

Fiercely Franciscan

Once the decision to change the nickname was made, 媚娘直播 was determined to give everyone a voice in the process of choosing a new Franciscan name. A 22-member task force with representation from every possible constituent group 鈥 students, faculty, athletic and other staff, Bernardine Sisters, alumni, trustees, board members and parents 鈥 was appointed to create an open process with ample opportunities for input from others. 


Community members suggesting potential nicknames were asked to explain how their ideas melded with four important principles. Plausible nicknames would connect to 媚娘直播鈥檚 Franciscan heritage and values, enhance the university鈥檚 visibility and institutional image, be gender neutral, and expand enthusiasm for 媚娘直播 athletics.


But even with more than 250 submissions, one suggestion seemed to stand out early: 58 percent of the 145 unique nicknames suggested some variation of 鈥渨olves.鈥


Over and over, submitters recounted the story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio. 


鈥淚 learned of this story in my FYS class last year and it really hit me and made me look at life in a different way,鈥 read one student submission. 鈥溍哪镏辈 has the mission of facilitating ethical leaders with moral courage 鈥 and St. Francis exhibited these traits when he took the initiative of connecting with the wolf and making peace with it and the people,鈥 read another.


All members of the task force individually graded each unique name based on the four guiding principles before culling the list down to 5-8 nicknames as a group. Determined not to make such an important decision in a vacuum, the task force facilitated focus groups that 鈥 like the task force 鈥 represented members of the entire university community. In-depth research and vetting of the remaining names were conducted simultaneously. With feedback and research in hand, task force co-chairs Porrazzo and Anthony DeMarco, vice president for institutional advancement, engaged the team in a passionate debate about each remaining name. 


鈥淭rying to choose something fierce enough for a sports team that also aligned with 媚娘直播鈥檚 values and the four criteria was one of the biggest challenges,鈥 said Cameron Coons 鈥17, who represented student-athletes on the task force as a senior baseball player and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council. 鈥淣o athletic team wants to be the 鈥楶urple Butterflies鈥 or something like that.鈥


The top three selections were presented to 媚娘直播 President Tom Flynn, who announced the final 鈥淕olden Wolves鈥 decision in early June.


Former basketball player and coach Christopher Davis 鈥16, a task force member representing graduate students, said that looking at nicknames through so many different perspectives added greatly to the experience. 鈥淚t鈥檒l take some getting used to, but I think it鈥檚 a good direction moving forward for the university and for athletics,鈥 he said.


President Flynn expressed gratitude for the task force鈥檚 thoroughness. 鈥淔or me, the final decision was easy because of the inclusiveness of the process and the overwhelming consensus by all groups.鈥
 

Connecting Our Heritage

According to the Wolf of Gubbio legend, St. Francis of Assisi negotiated peace in the early 13th century between the townspeople of Gubbio and a wolf that had been terrorizing the town. Francis proposed that the town could feed the wolf and, in return, the wolf would stop killing the people and their livestock. 鈥淩emember, our Savior taught forgiveness,鈥 said Francis. 鈥淗e taught us to love our enemies.鈥 The townspeople agreed, and brother wolf peacefully lived out his last years in Gubbio.


鈥淚 really like the new name because wolves relates to the Franciscan story and speaks of peace,鈥 said Sr. Madonna. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very well known story in the Franciscan history. We thought it was a very good choice, as it connects with the Franciscan value and can be used with the sports teams.鈥


鈥淭he story of St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio presents countless opportunities for us to emphasize our Franciscan heritage,鈥 agreed Flynn. 鈥淎nd the word 鈥榞olden鈥 not only touches on our school colors but also signifies excellence.鈥 Serendipitously, AU is the scientific symbol for gold. 


鈥淚t鈥檚 always hard when you鈥檙e making a change to your identity,鈥 said Victoria Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of political science and director of the honors program. 鈥淏ut from my perspective, it鈥檚 been pretty enthusiastically received. I expect to hear a lot of howling at our sporting events.鈥

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