The administration at the University of Houston has decided to rename the Calhoun Lofts on campus “in the wake of recent events”. The lofts were not specifically named after Vice President John C. Calhoun to begin with.
From NBC Houston:
The school said that even though the Calhoun Lofts building was not named in recognition of John C. Calhoun, the university decided to change the name out of sensitivity to its diverse student community.Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States. He was in office from March 4, 1825 – Dec. 28, 1832.Here is the full statement from the university:”The University of Houston does not have statues, memorials or monuments honoring the Confederate era. Calhoun Lofts were originally named to coincide with the name of the adjacent city street when the university began its aggressive residential expansion in the last decade. While the residence hall was not named in recognition of John C. Calhoun, in the wake of recent events, and out of sensitivity to our diverse student community the university has decided to change the name to University Lofts. The change will be made as soon as practical.”
Calhoun supported slavery. From History Channel:
By then he had resigned from the vice presidency and had been elected a senator from South Carolina. For the rest of his life he defended the slave-plantation system against a growing antislavery stance in the free states. He continued his strident defense of slavery even after he joined the Tyler administration as secretary of state. In that position he laid the groundwork for the annexation of Texas and the settlement of the Oregon boundary with Great Britain. Reelected to the Senate in 1845, he opposed the Mexican-American War because he felt American victory would result in territorial concessions that would place the Union at jeopardy. Similarly he opposed the admission of California as a free state, and the free-soil provision in the Oregon territorial bill. In his last address to the Senate, he foretold the disruption of the Union unless the slave states were given adequate and permanent protection for their institutions.
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