McGill University has dropped the Redmen name for its sports teams.

Principal Suzanne Fortier said in a statement Friday that the Redmen name has caused pain and alienation for Indigenous students at the university.

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Even though the name was not initially adopted as a reference to Indigenous peoples, that association was made in the 1950s when menB次元官网网址檚 and womenB次元官网网址檚 teams came to be nicknamed the B次元官网网址淚ndiansB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪quaws.B次元官网网址� Some teams later adopted a logo with an Indigenous man wearing a headdress.

B次元官网网址淭oday, B次元官网网址楻edmenB次元官网网址� is widely acknowledged as an offensive term for Indigenous peoples, as evidenced by major English dictionaries,B次元官网网址� Fortier said. B次元官网网址淲hile this derogatory meaning of the word does not reflect the beliefs of generations of McGill athletes who have proudly competed wearing the universityB次元官网网址檚 colours, we cannot ignore this contemporary understanding.B次元官网网址�

She said the name B次元官网网址渋s not one the university would choose today, and it is not one that McGill should carry forward.B次元官网网址�

The university released a working group report in December that revealed deep divisions between students and alumni who defend the nearly century-old name and those who find it offensive.

One unnamed Indigenous student was quoted saying that seeing Redmen jerseys in the gym B次元官网网址渇elt like a daggerB次元官网网址� and that being called a B次元官网网址淩edmanB次元官网网址� made him sick, while another told the group she didnB次元官网网址檛 feel accepted in the university and B次元官网网址渇elt like a ghost.B次元官网网址�

On the other side was a group of alumni who reported feeling such strong attachment to the Redmen name that they said they would never again donate to McGill, would discourage their children from applying to the school and would B次元官网网址渃onsider McGill dead to (them),B次元官网网址� if the name were dropped.

B次元官网网址淚 have learned about the true depths of the pain caused by the Redmen name,B次元官网网址� Fortier said. B次元官网网址淚 have heard from Indigenous students at McGill who feel alienated by the name. They feel disrespected and unconsidered. They feel conflicted over their rightful pride in being Indigenous people, and their pride in being McGill students.B次元官网网址�

She said a committee will be formed to choose a new name in time for the 2020-21 season. For 2019-20, the menB次元官网网址檚 varsity teams will be known simply as the McGill teams, she said. The womenB次元官网网址檚 teams are called the Martlets.

The Redmen name, originally written as Red Men, dates back to the 1920s. The school has said it was a tribute to the teamB次元官网网址檚 red uniforms and possibly a nod to university founder James McGillB次元官网网址檚 Celtic origins.

The Canadian Press

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