After more than a year of intense research, debate, and student protests, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has voted against a proposal to rename four on-campus buildings the current namesakes of which were found to have checkered pasts.
Last Friday, members of the board voted 10-1 against renaming Coffey Hall, Middlebrook Hall, Nicholson Hall, and the Coffman Memorial Union, despite multiple protests and requests from students and faculty. According to one member of the board, many of the regents believe the university has a duty to move on, while also working to find better ways to deal with complicated history than simply renaming buildings.
“As a community, the university needs to move on and we need to move on in harmony,” said Regent Steve Sviggum.
A report submitted by a university task force found that all three of the four men had allowed segregation on campus during their time in leadership roles with the university, while Edward Nicholson, who served as dean of students from 1917-1941, spied on students during his tenure, labeling several Jewish students Communists.
According to the Minnesota Daily, a number of the regents also expressed reservations about judging the men over a small lapse in judgment, while highlighting the fact that all four men had made great contributions to the university and education as a whole.
Despite the multiple reasons described by the regents for their decision, many members of the community were not pleased, including Student Body President Simran Mishra, who implied the decision would not affect student efforts to continue pushing for the buildings to be renamed.
“I think [renaming] will keep going long after I’m gone, long after everyone in this room is gone, until the buildings are renamed,” said Mishra. “To me it’s a when, not if.”
A number of board members also noted the excessive costs that would come with renaming the buildings as well. Initial estimates to rename Coffman Memorial Union ranged from $60,000 to $100,000, without even beginning to estimate costs for renaming the other three buildings.
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
