“If their job/field is unionized or is one where it’s in the heavily in the favor of the employees…they actually can make some “demands”.”
Students aren’t employees. The employees are the professors and the other staff needed to keep the place running, eg cafeteria staff. I wonder if the black, Hispanic, etc workers who are busy serving up the food to these special snowflakes feel that these protests are worthwhile or if they are just too busy earning a living.
When students have protested in favor of the cafeteria/janitorial staff making a certain wage or getting raises I can at least respect that, more than trivial attempts to rename Lynch Hall. I do have the feeling that the real-life URMs who work hard to keep the grub going and the bathrooms clean and the pathways shoveled and the grass cut are the true invisible ones. You arent helping those people by renaming buildings or whitewashing (no pun intended) history.
I apologize for my insensitivity in not recognizing the oppression reflected in the name Goodrich, which name indeed triggers disturbing images of oppression and White Privilege, and further is inherently contradictory in its use of the the term “good” and “rich” which implies the outrageous fiction that the latter could possibly be the former. I apologize for any trauma I have caused the community. I have disappointed you, and am disappointed in myself. I shall resign, effective immediately.
Because asking to change the name of the building that based on a real person’s name that is of Anglo-Norman in origin is not racist? And because Mr. Lynch had control over his name? @Happy1 had the right idea just start calling it memorial auditorium or something.
Will student surnames need to be reviewed and legally changed if they offend anyone? If you cannot name a building after a person named Lynch, then how can you have students, faculty, employees on campus named Lynch? We need to develop a consensus list of acceptable personal names. This is going to be complicated because so many names originate with various religious traditions, and we also have to make sure that no cultural appropriation is occurring. This will affect millions.
Lets start a list of forbidden names for building (regardless of how much $$$$$$$ the company or family donates to the school).
So lets see, if it has to be politically correct, and not potentially offend anybody, Lets ban:
IBM ( well, we all do this bodily function but it might offend someone)
Wang (well the computer company is no more, but someone might take offense at WANG on the front of a building)
Naylor ( might cause someone to think their drink was spiked at a party and an assault could occur)
Ball (and while we’re at it, lets change the name of Ball State U.)
Mickey (Insult an Irishman)
No student named “Jihad” should be permitted to attend college since that name would evoke too many terrifying thoughts other students. We’ve seen individuals with that name at track competitions, so yes, it’s a real name.
