[media-credit name=”Tom Lord, Viewpoints Editor” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Cradled by a pedestal of red bark and nestled in front of the bookstore under a shadow draped by an assortment of beautiful trees, rests a pristine topiary sculpture that reads “SWC.” Such a skillfully-trimmed piece of living art adds a touch of elegance to the verdant landscape. It is an iconic campus symbol of school spirit that is highly visible, well known – and wrong.

Southwestern College has been a victim of illiteracy for 50 years. SWC is the incorrect abbreviation for the name of this college, and it misrepresents the educational quality of students and faculty that this institution provides to the community.

SWC is printed and headlined on every piece of literature and gear affiliated with the school, except for one organization correctly abbreviates the initials. The Southwestern College men’s baseball team has the right abbreviation – SC – punctuating its jerseys and hats. So why are Coach Jerry Bartow and his crew the only ones who can spell around here?

Apparently a few English, journalism and marketing faculty of the past tried to bring this blemish to light. They were met with eye-rolling, shrugged shoulders or blank expressions.

“It’s always been like that” is the mantra of the spelling-impaired, ignoring the fact that Southwestern is a single word. We are not South Western College anymore than we are Southwes Tern College or So Uthwe Stern College. Ah, life in the Great Divide.

Some have argued that SC could be confused with the University of Southern California or the University of South Carolina, notable schools with an SC in their abbreviations. (Although USC is usually abbreviated as, uh, USC.)

It’s hard to imagine anyone confusing the maroon and gold Jags taking the field on Saturday nights with the iconic cardinal red of Troy or the unmistakable garnet and black Gamecocks of South Carolina, even if they share a moniker. Does anybody confuse George Washington with Denzel Washington? Or Kim Jong Il with Kim Kardashian?

Granted, the status of Southwestern’s abbreviation is not as earth-shaking as accreditation, administrative malfeasance or funding cuts, but it deserves serious consideration. We are an institution of higher education. We should be able to spell.