Leaders at UC Hastings Law Vote to Remove Founder’s Name From School

Leaders at UC Hastings Law Vote to Remove Founder’s Name From School

Why should any school do this as long as Yale is still named after Elihu Yale? He was actually involved in the slave trade.

The College Fix reports:

California’s oldest law school to scrub founder’s name over ties to Native American killings

Leaders of UC Hastings College of the Law recently voted to remove the name of its founder, citing his links to the killings of Native Americans in the 1850s.

The law school, the oldest in California, was founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, who board leaders say “perpetrated genocidal acts against Native Californians.”

“It is time to change the name of the law school,” prominent alumnus Joseph Cotchett told The College Fix in an interview.

“…I clearly think, and I’ve talked to many many alumni, both judges and lawyers, that are absolutely delighted that we are changing the name,” he said. “Because look, we’re living in a time now when you can’t recognize and promote someone that did the atrocities that were done.”

In a news release announcing the decision, made Nov. 2, Hastings administrators said that because the name is written into state law, a change will require legislation.

“UC Hastings has collaborated with the Yuki People and members of other affected tribes for the last four years in pursuit of restorative justice,” said Carl Robertson, chair of the Board of Directors.

“The goal of our collaborations with the tribes is to bring the educational resources of the College to help address the generational trauma inflicted by Serranus Hastings.”

The controversy over the name began in July 2017, when the San Francisco Chronicle published a column titled “The moral case for renaming Hastings College of Law.”

The piece alleged that Hastings had incited a massacre of a native tribe called the Yuki in 1859. It prompted an investigation into Hastings’ life and dealings.

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