Yale Makes it Official, Renames Calhoun College
“What do names matter people often ask”
This has been in the works for months. The argument went that the name Calhoun had to go because the man the school was named for had connections to slavery.
You know, like Elihu Yale.
The Daily Caller reports:
Yale Officially Renames Calhoun College ‘Grace Hopper College’
On Tuesday, Yale University officially changed the name of Calhoun College to Grace Hopper College.
During an afternoon ceremony, Yale President Peter Salovey, Navy Admiral John Richardson, and Yale Professor Julia Adams gathered before a freshly minted dolphin shield to commemorate the historic occasion.
“What do names matter people often ask,” said Adams, head of Grace Hopper College. “They matter a great deal.”
The ceremony comes after a summer of political unrest sparked by the removal of Confederate statues across the United States and yearlong discussion within Yale over John C. Calhoun’s legacy. Calhoun, a former U.S. vice president, was a slave owner and political theorist who advocated for slavery in the lead up to the Civil War.
Salovey initially intended to compromise by retaining the name of Calhoun College, but change the faculty title from “master” to “head of college.”
“Ours is a nation that often refuses to face its own history of slavery and racism. Yale is part of that history,” said Yale President Peter Salovey last spring. “We cannot erase American history but we can confront it, teach it, and learn from it. The decision to retain Calhoun College’s name reflects the importance of this vital educational imperative.”
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Comments
“Ours is a nation that often refuses to face its own history of slavery and racism. Yale is part of that history,”
The irony of removing the evidence being “facing history of slavery and racism” aside, we never *stop* figuratively beating ourselves silly over it.
Pathetic. All hat, no cattle, Yale!
Thankfully, Calhoun’s by the River in Knoxville hasn’t changed their name or their menu.
Politically correct or not, it’s a better name.