Same Spirit. New Roar.

We’re going to need more honey for Friday tea.

After nearly 40 years as the Pioneers, the college is embracing a bold—and fuzzy—new moniker: the Smith Bears. The new moniker reflects the strength and spirit of the Smith community, honors an enduring commitment to inclusivity, and pays tribute to a trailblazing athletics icon who transformed physical education for women at Smith and beyond.

“I’m thrilled we’ll be the Smith Bears!” said President Sarah Willie-LeBreton. “When I arrived, our students were already asking if we might update our moniker. And I was truly heartened that once the request for input went out, more than a thousand students, alums, faculty, and staff contributed suggestions. Personally, I found the anticipation of when and where the committee would land unbearable. Bears had lots of support, are native to New England, and are strong and determined. Best of all, everyone who cheers for Smith—Smithies and beyond—can be a Smith Bear!”

Also known informally as Senda the Bear, the new moniker celebrates the legacy of Senda Berenson (get it: BEAR-enson), who at the age of 24 arrived at Smith to fill a vacant gymnastics instructor position and then became director of physical training, a position she held for 19 years, from 1892 to 1911.

Smith Athletics Director Kristin Hughes said honoring Berenson’s impact through the new moniker felt only natural. “Senda was one of the original ‘pioneers’ at Smith,” Hughes said. “She was ahead of her time in so many ways, especially in understanding the value of physical movement.”

Notably, she is credited with launching women’s basketball at Smith in 1892, as well as introducing fencing and field hockey to the college’s athletics program. Berenson has been inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. “She invested in physical fitness for herself because, having been ill, she had lost the stamina to play the piano,” said Dean of the College and Vice President for Campus Life Alexandra Keller, who served on the Moniker Committee. “For her, health and wellness were deeply connected to intellectual and creative capacities.”

The new moniker was shared with the board of trustees last week after a multi-year effort, led by students, to update the college’s moniker, moving away from Pioneers to something that was more inclusive, representative of the campus, and unifying as a symbol that could rally the entire Smith community beyond athletics teams. The bear was chosen, according to Keller, for a number of reasons. “They are fierce, protective, resourceful, imaginable as both magnificent and whimsical, and they’re great on both offense and defense,” she said.

Piper Corey ’25, a government major, vice president of the Student Government Association, and a member of the Moniker Committee, described bears as “empathetic, joyful, playful, social, and altruistic. That’s representative of the Smith community to me.”

This latest effort to update Smith’s moniker began in earnest in the fall of 2022 after a discussion in a Critical Sport Media class about the use of Pioneers led to a deeper conversation among student-athletes on the rowing team. A survey of all student-athletes confirmed what they suspected: More than 81% of athletes said they “did not identify” with the Pioneers, and 77% wanted a change.

With momentum in support of a name change, the Moniker Committee sought input from the community earlier this year. More than 1,200 submissions came in from students, faculty, staff, and alums across generations. Animals were the clear favorite among all submissions, and bears ultimately clawed their way to the top.

Karly Toledo ’21, a former Smith rower who is a member of the Navajo Nation and was one of the students to begin conversations in 2022 about making the moniker more inclusive, is excited by the new Smith Bears moniker and the potential it has for instilling a sense of playfulness and fun across campus. “I can’t wait to see how Smithies take the bear and make it their own,” she said. She’s also grateful to the college for choosing a symbol that can bring people together.

Both Hughes and Corey are looking forward to building excitement around the new moniker and unveiling a visual representation of it in the fall. “This is a change that is supposed to bring joy and excitement,” Corey said. “Colleges can use a little more of that these days.”