NCCU Board of Trustees to Discuss Dormitory Name-Change
posted by Jazmine Wilson | February 14, 2022 | In OpinionCurrently, at North Carolina Central University there has been immense controversy over the changing of the name of certain dormitories on their campus– specifically, McLean Residence Hall, which is currently unoccupied.
Angus McLean served as North Carolina’s governor from 1925 to 1929. While he is lauded for “his support and contribution to North Carolina College for Negroes” it is also believed that his support was based on his segregationist beliefs. The issue, once made aware to the students, resulted in them starting a petition to change the name of the dorm.
NCCU resident-students, Meeia Robinson-Smalls and Aliyah Busby, support the name-change petition, emphasizing on the fact that the current residence halls are named after important African American people who helped build NCCU into what it is today, something which McLean Hall no longer represents.
This name change would mean a lot for the university, more importantly, it would show the student body that their voices are being heard. NCCU officially sent out a notification stating that the name-change process has begun amongst the Board of Trustees, with much credit due to the push from the student body, as well as recent media stories.
This petition is one example of how a name-change can be racially motivated for the correct reasons. If the name-change passes, it would bring a jovial feeling to the entire campus while demonstrating that Black college students do have a voice and are capable of making historical changes to improve the college as social and cultural ideals continue to evolve.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.