Word on the street: What are your thoughts on the new exhibit in Carolina Hall?
A new exhibit contextualizing the history of the name of Carolina Hall was opened Friday. Staff writer Madeleine Fraley asked students: What are your thoughts on the renaming of Carolina Hall and the addition of the panel exhibit?
Kauner Michael
Sophomore biology major
“The renaming was obviously a positive thing, but the exhibit helps to supplement that. Like while we renamed it, we need to remember the past in historical context and separate it from something racial. I think it's a great thing.”
Lenore Hango
First-year global studies major
"Why bother? At this point move on. The times were different. Now it just makes sense to rename the building and move on. It's history, it happened, it's over, let's move forward."
Pooja Joshi
Sophomore, undecided
"I didn't know there was an exhibit. But I remember last year while the renaming was happening people wanted it to be Hurston Hall. I remember that was a big controversy. Hurston was a prominent African-American figure and now you're just removing the name of a racist figure and renaming it with something neutral."
Eunice Kim
Sophomore public relations and public policy major
“I think it's great they're doing the exhibit because if they just changed it with no explanation there would be no learning component to it.”
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Sophomore political science and global studies major
"I’m in a class right now where we’re studying the renaming of buildings on campus. On the surface level the naming isn't a major issue, but when you look at the contextual history of a building there's a lot of racism that surrounds it. And you think about why we don't change that and hesitate and a lot of that has to do with money and that puts us in a vicious cycle. And if you're more educated about it and the history then you'll be more aware of the history and the reactions to the name.”
Whitley Burleson, right
Senior elementary education major
“It's really important how we present ourselves to the community and having a building named after a racist person doesn't do that. We're excluding a whole group of people with the name of a building. I agree, it does come down to money. And I don't think that's a good representation of who we are as a University.”
