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Union College in New York, founded in 1795, is among the oldest colleges in the United States. From shortly after its founding, the college's motto, in French, was “Sous les lois de Minerve nous devenons tous frères” (“Under the laws of Minerva we all become brothers”). But the board of Union has approved a change to acknowledge that not all Union students are men. The new motto is: “Sous les lois de Minerve nous devenons tous frères et sœurs” (“Under the laws of Minerva, we all become brothers and sisters”).
The college's president, Stephen C. Ainlay, issued this statement: “We respect the tradition of the words carefully chosen by our original trustees, but it’s important that those words now make explicitly clear that Union is a place of inclusion and a shared intellectual mission for all.”
The college's seal (at right) currently features the original motto and will soon be changed to reflect the new motto.
