OPINION: USC must come down harder on offensive nomenclature
Earlier this month, Provost Michael Quick announced the launch of the Provost Task Force on University Nomenclature in a memo to the USC community. The committee will establish a set of guidelines when reassessing names of buildings and other prominent structures across campus that are named after people who are associated with having hateful or oppressive views. The committee will also establish procedures for faculty, staff and students to submit their concerns. While the creation of the task force and its guidelines is a positive step toward accomplishing inclusion on campus, USC must take assertive and thorough action in quickly removing such offensive nomenclature and statues on campus.
Universities across the nation have enacted changes for several years; Duke, Georgetown, Stanford, Yale and UC Berkeley are just a handful of USC’s peer institutions that have renamed controversial buildings following revelations about their namesakes. In examining these universities’ choices, a common theme arises — academic institutions other than USC are far beyond the scope of establishing processes and procedures, and they have removed offensive names from their own infrastructure.
The demand to remove such nomenclature at USC has been an active debate for over three years. Students and organizations continue to express open opposition to the Von KleinSmid Center, a building named after USC’s fifth president Rufus B. Von KleinSmid. Von KleinSmid was a proponent of the eugenics movement, which advocated for forced sterilization and exclusion of certain racial groups. Although it may be evident that his actions and views have no place in today’s society, the University has taken little tangible action to address the building’s controversial name.
With the creation of the Provost Task Force, it’s clear that USC is adopting an aware but cautious stance on a national issue plaguing academic institutions across the United States. However, this conservative action is unacceptable because it will merely prolong the existence of a contentious issue. USC administration should establish direct, concrete change through specific actions rather than creating a task force that follows extensive procedures and discussion, delaying the process rather than directly addressing concerns.
Stanford’s recent changes to nomenclature exemplify alterations that USC should take into consideration when addressing key issues, such as the name of VKC. Last September, Stanford announced it would be removing Father Junipero Serra, the controversial priest who founded the California mission system, from the list of names on its main entrance, mailing address and two buildings. This decision was made based on the Serra mission system’s mistreatment and abuse of California Native Americans for more than 60 years. The process to remove the saint’s name began in 2016, and two years later, intensive analysis concluded that Serra Way should be renamed to honor Jane Stanford, co-founder of the university.
And while change on this scale has yet to happen on either of USC’s campuses, the important takeaway from this event is that thorough analysis needs to be at the forefront of reconciliation. The task force ultimately demonstrates the University’s slow but careful action that can leave less room for error. Nevertheless, the creation of the committee does not provide the USC community with enough of a voice to emphasize their concerns. While the task force may seem beneficial in theory, it will do little more than stall efforts to enact any changes in nomenclature whatsoever.
No one, including administration, can erase the history that was created by figures such as Von KleinSmid or Widney. What faculty, staff and students can do, though, is push the administration into enacting assertive changes and encouraging a safe and welcoming campus environment through definitive changes to nomenclature and architecture. Dwelling on the goals of the task force, one message shines loud and clear: No change will come if we act broadly and slowly.
A previous version of this article contained an error. The article stated the Widney Alumni House was named for former USC president Joseph Widney. The Widney Alumni House is named for Robert Widney. The Daily Trojan regrets the error.