UNC Requests Submissions Amid Renaming of Campus Buildings

After removing four namesakes of university figures from campus buildings due to their ties to white supremacy, UNC is asking for help from the community to rename those buildings.

In a message to the campus community on Friday, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said the university’s goal is to broaden options of new names for the buildings formerly known as the Aycock Residence Hall, the Daniels Building and the Carr Building.

“We want these names to represent the values of our campus and quickly become part of the fabric of our community,” said Guskiewicz.

The UNC Board of Trustees voted in July 2020 to remove the names of Charles B. Aycock, Josephus Daniels, Julian S. Carr and Thomas Ruffin Sr. from four campus buildings due to their ties to white supremacy. At the time, temporary names were also approved for three buildings: the Josephus Daniels Building was rebranded as the Student Stores Building, Aycock Residence Hall as Residence Hall 1, and the Carr Building as the Student Affairs Building.

As part of the process to rename those three buildings, members of the UNC community are invited to submit names for consideration which are included in the university’s Honorific Name Registry along with additional names as well.

The registry will be open for a two-week period and close at 5 p.m. on April 9.

A sign hangs for the Student Affairs Building. The name was changed from Carr Building in 2020 due to its namesake’s ties to white supremacy.

Once the registry is closed, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Naming University Facilities and Units will narrow the list to six possible names for consideration.

According to the university, the committee will give more weight to honorees that “represent the values that define our University: excellence and an unwavering commitment to teaching, research and public service,” “have traditionally been underrepresented on our landscape,” and “have a demonstrated positive impact on our campus and in our community.”

Guskiewicz said the university will have “plenty of worthy honorees” to choose from in the renaming process.

“This is an exciting time for our University as we celebrate and remember the people who have pushed our University forward by serving its people and our mission,” he wrote. “In doing so, we are taking concrete steps to build our community together. I am grateful for the students, faculty and staff who have advocated for change.”

While those three buildings are undergoing the name change process, other buildings on campus could see a change as well.

During the July 2020 meeting, Thomas Ruffin Jr. was chosen to clarify the residence hall’s namesake. The UNC Board of Trustees said it lacked information on the son’s background or support of racist causes, who Ruffin Sr. also had the building dedicated to honor.

New evidence on Ruffin Jr.’s ties to white supremacy, however, was presented by the Commission on History, Race and a Way Forward in September 2020. The commission then recommended to remove the names of Ruffin Jr. and Robert Hall Bingham from campus buildings.

The Commission on History, Race and a Way Forward also approved a recommendation to rename Morrison Residence Hall at a December 2020 meeting.

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UNC Requests Submissions Amid Renaming of Campus Buildings

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