(THE COLLEGE FIX) — San José State University has banned its popular “Spartan Up” hand gesture due to it being akin to an alleged “white power” expression, the school president announced Thursday.
As shown on the campus “Traditions” page, “Spartan Up” is made by “forming a helmet with your thumb and index finger […] [t]he idea is to curl your remaining three fingers over the top of the ‘helmet,’ mimicking a feathered plume.”
According to SJSU News, SJSU Athletics Director Marie Tuite said in an email that while “Spartan Up” has “become part of the fabric and footprint of our University, when [it’s] used improperly, it can be offensive to some members of our University family.”
