Simon Fraser University’s varsity sports teams will no longer be named “The Clan.”
The university confirmed the change Wednesday and said plans are underway to come up with a new team name by year’s end.
SFU’s sports administration committed to changing the name last month after a number of student-athletes spoke out against the nickname through the “I am not your Clansman” social media campaign.
SFU President Andrew Petter confirmed the change Wednesday, saying it was in the best interests of student-athletes, many of whom reported that the Clan nickname had caused them to experience unsafe situations, upsetting conversations, and other harm.
SFU’s sports teams had been called “The Clan,” as a nod to explorer Simon Fraser’s Scottish heritage.
But it is often misinterpreted as a reference to the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, particularly in the U.S. That’s an issue for SFU athletes, who are the only Canadian college athletes to play in the U.S.-based NCAA.
“Our student-athletes are dedicated to their sport and education, and negative interactions with others about the persistent misinterpretation or misuse of their team name should not be a burden they have to bear,” Petter said in a statement.
A process to choose a new varsity team name will be launched in the fall, and the school hopes to unveil the new name by the end of this year.
The news comes as other sports teams have vowed to change their names.
Washington’s NFL franchise dropped its name and logo last month, and Edmonton’s CFL franchise has dropped the word Eskimo from its team name.
— With files from Simon Little