August 20: A Spark Ignited A Movement
- Staff
- Aug 30, 2025
- 2 min read
The announcement on August 20, 2025, was intended to be a celebration. Under the bright lights of TowneBank Arena, during a luncheon honoring the Batten family’s undeniable generosity, the administration dropped a bombshell that would shake the foundations of our community: Virginia Wesleyan University would be renamed Batten University effective July 1, 2026.
While the "standing ovation" inside the room was televised, the reaction outside—across decades of alumni networks and social media—was an immediate, visceral roar of dissent.
The "early days" were defined by a profound sense of being "blindsided." Alumni from the 1970s through the 2020s woke up to news that their alma mater was undergoing a total identity shift without a single public forum or alumni survey.
Within 24 hours, the "Stop the Renaming of Virginia Wesleyan" petition was launched. What began as a handful of signatures from concerned graduates exploded into a digital wildfire. By the end of the first week, over 5,000 people had signed on, signaling that this wasn't just a minor disagreement—it was a full-scale movement.
The first physical manifestation of our resolve happened just nine days after the announcement. On August 29, 2025, dozens of alumni, former faculty, and community members gathered at the university entrance.
It was a scene of both heartbreak and solidarity.
Generational Pride: We saw mothers who graduated in the 80s standing next to daughters who graduated in the 2020s, both holding signs that read, "Our Legacy is Not for Sale."
The Methodist Connection: Many protesters spoke of the "brick-by-brick" history of the school—how working-class church members and local ministers poured their hearts into a school that carried the "Wesleyan" name as a badge of spiritual and academic honor.
The Athletic Heartbeat: Hall of Famers and former Marlins expressed a deep sense of loss. To them, "Virginia Wesleyan" wasn't just a name on a jersey; it was the name they bled for on the court and field for sixty years.
Perhaps the most galvanizing moment of the early days was the administration's response. When asked about the mounting backlash, the university labeled the dissent as "mean-spirited attacks" and doubled down, stating the decision was "final."
This refusal to engage in a meaningful dialogue only poured gasoline on the fire. It transformed a group of "concerned alumni" into an organized advocacy machine. We saw the birth of the Saving Virginia Wesleyan campaign—a movement that quickly moved from petitions to legal filings and alternative events.
The early days of the protest proved one vital thing: Virginia Wesleyan belongs to the people who built it, not just the people who currently manage it. The administration may have expected a quiet transition, but they underestimated the deep-rooted love we have for our history.
Those first rallies at the gate and those first thousands of signatures set the stage for the legal journey and the "Alternative Homecoming" that followed. We made it clear from day one: We are Marlins, we are Wesleyan, and we are not going anywhere.
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