July 12, 2005

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Vandy gives up on Confederate thing

Well, so that's done. Vanderbilt loses, "Confederate" stays on facade. This issue has been beaten to death, but I can't not comment. I think the ruling was fair: leave the name or pay up. On the other hand, it would be rather crazy to tell a black person to go live in a dorm named "Confederate Memorial Hall." I've said before that I think the name should stay; why change history? And I don't mean the history of the Confederacy, I mean the history of Vanderbilt as a racist institution in the pocket of the Old South. To me, that's a better lesson, and the surprise of seeing that word in a place of glory provides such a contrast with normal expectations that every time people see that word it can remind them how far we've come. I'm usually against the idea of being "offended."

But if Vanderbilt really thinks it's a problem, the court has given them an easy, viable solution: Pay the money. $50,000 isn't that much to Vanderbilt. They probably spent that much on the legal fees for the lawsuit already. Just pay it and do what you want. Then everyone's legally satisfied, and you also demonstrate that the Confederate Memory no longer holds the power and financial sway to persuade schools to keep its glory alive against their ethical principles.

*UPDATE (07/13/2005 2:06PM): As Jacob pointed out in the comments, it was $50,000 adjusted for inflation, which is apparently now $700,000 or so. That's a bit different. Vandy would be insane to pay that much to remove the name. Leave it up for sure, and use it as a lesson.

Posted at July 12, 2005 12:25 PM | Comments (3)

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