At colleges across the country, student protesters have been complaining about the names of buildings and demanding that their schools change those names.
At Lebanon Valley College, students demanded the school change the name of the “Lynch Memorial Hall” because it included the word “lynch.” At Stanford, students want the name of Father Junipero Serra removed from buildings and streets because he played a role in assimilating — and apparently exploiting — Native Americans. Harvard Law students succeeded this month in removing the unofficial school seal because it bore the family crest of Isaac Royall Jr., a donor who made his money from the slave trade. At Yale (notice how many of these alleged hotbeds of racism are Ivy League schools), students demanded renaming a residential college because it was named after John C. Calhoun, a defender of slavery.
UC Berkeley perhaps had one of the most mind-numbing demands. Protesters wanted to rename Barrows Hall after Black Panther member Assata Shakur, who was convicted for the murder of a New Jersey state trooper and multiple other felonies. Barrows Hall was named for former UC Berkeley President David Barrows, who protesters claimed perpetuated American colonialism. To replace this alleged menace, the protesters wanted the building named after a murderer who escaped from prison and fled to Cuba.
So while protesters claimed to despise terrible people who advocated for the murder and mistreatment of others, they demanded the school honor someone who advocated for the murder and mistreatment of others. So far school administrators have denied this building name change.
It would be easy for campus administrators to throw their hands up and say, “Fine, we’ll change the name of the stupid building, now please shut up,” but we all know that wouldn’t be the end of the protests. If you give whiners and complainers an inch, they’ll be emboldened to demand more and more.
The protests don’t begin and end with the names of buildings — those are just the simplest demands. Once they get their way on one thing, they’ll focus more on their other demands — which consist mainly of hiring more diverse faculty (I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of these protesters are angling for those jobs) and providing more classes about race. Because nothing will heal racial tension like telling white students they are racist just because of their skin color.
I would advise colleges not to give in on any of these demands. The protesters will never be satisfied, and they’re being kept from learning how to survive in the real world when they’re allowed to create a bubble for themselves on campus.
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
