Students should not have to pay extra for a campus whose buildings do not explicitly honor white supremacists.
But in the absence of swift action from the administration, students should consider designating plaques for Silent Sam and Saunders Hall as senior class gifts.
This year’s senior class gift allows students to choose to donate to a wide variety of funds. Though this message might be diluted, a fund for racially contextualizing campus buildings could be introduced among them.
And if the hour is too late for this year’s senior class, future senior classes should take up the project.
It is indeed troubling that students’ money could be more effective than their voices, and we hope suggesting this approach does not diminish the work of the Real Silent Sam Coalition, which has powerfully brought these issues to the attention of administrators and students.
But we feel such a united gesture could give UNC a kick in the rear to do the right thing and honor this reasonable request.
It would also be an opportunity for those who have watched in silent support to ensure already overtaxed activist groups do not stand alone. Those who donate should also be encouraged to put their mouth where their money is and vocally support renaming efforts.
Advancing this idea would not absolve UNC of its responsibility to its students. But at the very least we hope the prospect of students having to invest their own money to make campus a safe place would shame UNC into action.
