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Letter to the Editor: A Response to Yale's Renaming of Calhoun College

Ed Martin '18
There is no doubt that Hopkins’ fate has been tightly interwoven with Yale University’s, but it is now that Hopkins must remain cautious towards the narrow and dangerous path that Yale has been following. On Saturday, February 11, Yale announced that it would be changing the Name of Calhoun college.
 
This is not to say that Calhoun stood for good values. He certainly did defend slavery, insinuating that it was moral, which we all know now to be false. But the changing of Calhoun College has less to do with Yale’s morality, and more to do with its weakening position against a developing issue within American Universities.

Yale has become a growing safe-haven for those who refuse to accept reality. On Friday, four protesters decided to sit down on a traffic heavy road in New Haven, causing an inconvenience for commuters, and major traffic jams in Downtown New Haven.

These protesters, while utilizing free speech, seem to underestimate the implications of renaming Calhoun College. The residential college, nearly 85 years old, is a large part of Yale’s history. While no one can deny Calhoun’s position on Slavery was immoral, at best, it is also crucial to note that by renaming Calhoun College, the University is essentially erasing an important historical reminder.

Calhoun remains an important figure in our country’s history, and Yale should continue to acknowledge the fact that he attended the school. The college should serve as a reminder that our society has overcome the times of Calhoun, and while his attributes weren’t positive, the result was.  By having a diverse and inclusive student body, Yale has already overridden Calhoun’s ideology, resulting as a symbol of triumph rather than failure.
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