Now if you were a fan of this one university in Foggy Bottom, DC and you bought a t-shirt, what would you rather it say? "George Washington" or "GW University"? I think almost everybody would say the former. For one thing, it just looks nicer. Also, it gives people who aren't GW folks a better idea of what your shirt says - "What is GW University?" as opposed to "Oh, George Washington." William and Mary folks don't have shirts that say "W&M University" after all.
However, the people at the GW Bookstore seem to disagree, as a lot of things say "GW University" and relatively few say George Washington. Some good (bad) examples are this year's A-10 championship shirts, a "Road to Atlanta" one, and this one, which is the worst. I emailed the bookstore manager, Donnice Peoples (who is very good at getting back to me) and here's what she had to say:
"As you may be aware, the university has several art designs that we are able to use. They ask that we offer a balance of various art & garments designs available for customers to buy. We try to have a good mix of products which includes art, garment & texture."I guess, but I think that's missing the point - GW University is dumb and George Washington makes much more sense. I think merchandise should either say simply "GW", "George Washington", or something involving "Colonials."
But don't take my word for it - a bunch of folks in a gwhoops.com thread make the same point. And if you'd like to email Donnice (who is a nice lady, so be polite) her email is 0122gm@fheg.follett.com
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