Why would the University of Massachusetts choose a steeple as the sole image on its new seal? It’s on the seal, the school says, because the steeple belongs to the Old Chapel, a venerable campus building that has been in use since 1885. According to a recent Gazette article, the seal needed a makeover because the old one featured an “Indigenous man standing against a shield and below an arm wielding a Colonial-style sword,” which is also on the Massachusetts state flag.
Both seals need to be replaced because the image is offensive and racist. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and UMass leadership approved the new seal’s final design. They seemed to have missed something blatantly obvious — the image of the Old Chapel is not just a drawing of a building on a campus. It’s a familiar and instantly recognizable symbol of a Christian church. The emoji for a church is a steeple, albeit with a cross on it. With or without a cross, it is clear what the image of a steeple represents.
If UMass, a public university supported by taxpayer dollars, wanted to send a message of inclusivity, they missed the mark. Christians and non-Christians may look at the new seal and assume that UMass prioritizes Christianity over all other religions. We need a symbol that is inclusive for all people. UMass should reconsider this symbolic choice.
Lawrence Hott, Sharon Lerman, Alan Berkenwald, Veronica Darmon, Arlene Avakian, Micky McKinley
Northampton
Susan Mosler
Hadley