Posted on 07/07/2020 1:18:23 PM PDT by Perseverando
Washington and Lee University faculty passed a motion to remove Robert E. Lee from the name of the small liberal arts college in Lexington.
The motion — the first time for W&L faculty to make such a recommendation — will be sent to the board of trustees.
W&L President Will Dudley called a special meeting to discuss the motion at the request of the faculty affairs committee. More than 260 faculty members attended the virtual meeting late Monday afternoon and 79% of them voted for the motion.
“The university’s name rests with its board of trustees, and there are no current plans to change it,” said university spokeswoman Drewry Sackett.
The school was named for George Washington, an early benefactor, and Lee, the former Confederate general and president of the university who is buried in the chapel at the heart of campus. Washington and Lee University is the school’s fifth name since 1749.
The three permanent Black faculty members at W&L’s law school called for the removal of both Washington’s and Lee’s names from the school’s name, according to a letter sent to Dudley.
“It is worth exploring why the faculty has decided to make a collective statement on Lee and why the faculty has not included a demand to drop Washington in their petition,” according to the letter written by Brandon Hasbrouck, an alum and associate professor of law. “It is no longer acceptable, profitable or convenient to be associated with Lee but it is for Washington.”
An amendment was proposed to include the removal of Washington’s name, but that motion failed.
Faculty members also discussed the importance of having wider discussions about the overall campus climate, said Zoila Ponce de Leon, an assistant professor of politics.
“A name change is a symbolic gesture, but
(Excerpt) Read more at richmond.com ...
I’m sure they have done the numbers. Some alumni will continue to cough up. Any gap in alumni giving will be covered by leftist foundations actively seeking to influence “change”.
When the budget cuts come -- and they're coming -- a bunch of the barnacles are going to get scraped off while complaining that the boat is being destroyed.
Are they gonna burn the grounds while they’re at it?
Washington and Lee University was originally called “Augusta Academy” and then years later became a college,”Liberty Hall”, in c 1776 and my greatgreatgreat...nth great uncles Gen. Andrew Lewis and Thomas Lewis were two of the founding trustees then. Andrew died in 1781 and Thomas died in 1790.
It wasn’t named Washington and Lee University until about 1870.
The trustees are probably terrified of cancel culture if they don’t vote right. Many have children of their own. The “progressive” elites are in charge.
I was going to say that they should wait a bit on this. As fast as history is being revised by BLM and their allies, Washington might have to expunged as well.
“Woke U”
Good point.
Are they changing the name of Stonewall Jackson Hospital?
‘Or they could keep the name and say they’re named for Denzel and Spike...…’
there’s an idea...
Since they want to re-brand, I hear the name “Aunt Jemima” is available.
The majority of W&L alumni are conservatives, and they give very generously to the university. The university will be throwing away a ton of donated money if they go ahead with a name change. The leftist professors will get what they want: to help eliminate one of the few remaining predominantly center-right student bodies at a non-religious university by advertising their leftism. But the university will suffer for it. And so will the community, because Lee and Stonewall Jackson sites are the main tourist attractions in town. Hopefully, the trustees won’t be this insane.
Yeah and I’m from Amherst County, Virginia. No plans to rename it.
}:-)4
I notice that the aforementioned 79% of the faculty sure don’t mind getting those sweet paychecks with “Washington and Lee University” on the top. You feel that strongly, you jackasses? Go somewhere else. In fact, please, DO go somewhere else. Quit polluting Lexington.
}:-)4
How about Davis & Schickelgruber?
John B. Floyd was a much less important Confederate general than Robert E. Lee.
‘Lord Jeffrey Amherst gave smallpox infected blankets to the Native Americans in one of the first known uses of biological warfare, and committed genocide.’
and not only that, I’ll bet he didn’t wear a mask while he was doing it; we ought to dig him up and put him in jail for a year...
Lee freed his slaves in his own lifetime (before the war) while Washington only freed them in his will (to take effect on his wife’s death).
Toody and Muldoon. Nothing taught there would be recognized by Washington or Lee anyways.
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