The College of the Holy Cross has announced that it will keep the "Crusaders" as its moniker and mascot, following months of debate regarding whether or not the term was appropriate.

After meeting on Saturday, the Board of Trustees for the Worcester college announced its decision to keep the moniker.

"While we acknowledge that the Crusades were among the darkest periods in Church history, we choose to associate ourselves with the modern definition of the word crusader, one which is representative of our Catholic, Jesuit identity and our mission and values as an institution and community," College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs and Board Chair John J. Mahoney wrote in a statement.

"We are not simply crusaders, we are Holy Cross Crusaders," the statement continued.

A video message from Boroughs and Mahoney is posted on the college website.

In addition to reaffirming that the Crusader will remain the college's moniker, the Board is asking the college administration to assess "how the visual representation of a Holy Cross Crusader can best align with the College's mission and values," the statement reads.

Holy Cross began using the Crusader name in 1920, according to the college. It was first used in reference to the school's athletic teams.

In an email to students and faculty, Boroughs and Mahoney wrote that the Holy Cross community has defined what it means to be a Crusader.

"In 1925, our students chose the moniker 'Crusader' to represent them," the email read. "The literal definition of the word, 'one who is marked by the cross of Christ,' was appropriate for our institution's Jesuit and Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition."

The mascot has helped promote a sense of campus pride. But it has also caused some to hesitate and examine its place on campus in today's social and political atmosphere.

Some alumni said a change in the moniker could lead to a drop in alumni donations.

Matt Apicella, who graduated from Holy Cross in 2016 with a history major, said he hoped the school wouldn't ditch the Crusader name.

"I really hope they don't change the mascot as I believe it will have a negative impact on the College...I believe alumni will voice their opposition to a change with their wallets," said Apicella, who resides in Mountainside, New Jersey. "Also, the definition of a crusader in the dictionary is someone who fights for just causes and many alumni take the great education they receive at HC and use it for good in the world. They are crusaders for society."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "crusade" as "a remedial enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm."

Matt Mullaney, a 2011 Holy Cross graduate who was a double major in Economics and Accounting and Classics, said dropping the Crusader moniker would stop him from donating in the future.

In a letter sent to the working group and Boroughs that was shared with MassLive, Mullaney debated why a debate about the moniker sprung up after nearly 100 years of use.

"For close to 100 years, thousands of students have enthusiastically applied to Holy Cross with a desire to Bleed Purple and become a part of 'Sader Nation,'" Mullaney, who lives in Morristown, New Jersey, wrote in part of his four-page letter. "Yet, ironically, these same people are now demanding that the mascot and moniker be changed for the sake of cultural and religious sensitivity. Since the Crusader was chosen as the College's mascot/moniker in 1920, what has changed? In other words, why is the 'Crusader' offensive today, versus say ten, twenty, fifty years ago?"

Opponents say that the term Crusaders has links to the crusades of the Middle Ages when Christians embarked on violent military expeditions to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims.

It is also the name of a Ku Klux Klan newspaper.

Ahead of the college's decision, Holy Cross' student newspaper announced on Friday that it was changing its name from "The Crusader" to "The Spire."

In changing its name, the students did not consider the fact that the 93-year-old paper shared its name with the little-circulated KKK publication. Rather, the paper's editorial board wanted to make sure the publication best represented the Holy Cross community.

"The Spire" pays homage to the distinctive spires of Fenwick Hall, Holy Cross' main building and oldest structure, which is at the center of campus. Its first edition will be published Feb. 9.

Students on the newspaper's editorial board made the decision independently of college administration.

The paper was first named "The Tomahawk" and changed its name to "The Crusader" in 1955, according to a news release.

"Holy Cross' crusader, as a motif and concept, has been synonymous with the school since 1925, when it was adopted as its official symbol," the student newspaper wrote. "Men and women have been proud to call themselves Holy Cross Crusaders for nearly a century. The decision to break with that tradition, then, was not taken lightly or hastily."

Boroughs commended the student newspaper for making a decision reflective of research and open dialogue.

Questions about if the Crusader moniker was appropriate began in 2016 when a committee was charged with coordinating and summarizing a discussion the name of Mulledy Hall. The name was in memory of Holy Cross founder Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S.J. His ties to slavery prompted consideration of renaming the building.

Boroughs eventually decided to rename the building Brooks-Mulledy. That preserved Fr. Mulledy's role in Holy Cross history but added the name of former president Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., whose legacy was his dedication to increasing Holy Cross's diversity, according to the college.

As the campus community began to examine the Crusader moniker and mascot, Boroughs asked a working group to begin a discussion in the fall. Students, faculty and alumni were asked: In what ways do you think the Crusader moniker and mascot are appropriate, or inappropriate, representations of the College, given our mission, values and identity?

After an 8-week response period that ended in November, the group compiled the results, which were presented to Boroughs. More than 1,800 responses were received and two public forums were held on campus, according to Holy Cross.

That led up to the Saturday decision by the Board of Trustees.

Members of the working group to examine the moniker were: Dan Kim, the vice president for communications, chair; Tess Andrekus, '18, officer of diversity for the Student Government Association; Brian Duggan, '96, president of the Holy Cross Alumni Association and member of the Board of Trustees; Kristyn Dyer, '94, director of alumni relations; Paul Harman, S.J., director of special projects in mission; Ed O'Donnell, '86, professor of history; Marcellis Perkins, '19, member of the men's Basketball team; Rose Shea, '87, associate director of athletics; and Brenda Hounsell Sullivan, the director of office of student involvement, assistant dean.