Oregon State University President Ed Ray announced Monday that the school will rename 3 buildings on campus whose namesakes have associations with racism.
Ray says he’d like to find a new name for Avery Lodge. Joseph Avery helped OSU get established in the 1850s but he was also part of a pro-slavery publication, The Occidental Messenger. OSU spokesman Steve Clark says that association is not in keeping with the University’s values.
“So, while we’re mindful of the contributions of Avery family descendants over the decades, Joseph Avery’s involvement with politics and a newspaper that supported slavery is not something we want to be part of.”
President Ray also wants to rename Benton Hall and Benton Annex. The buildings were named for Benton County, but its namesake, former Missouri U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, supported removing Native Americans from their tribal lands. Clark says the naming process will involve the whole OSU community and take place this winter.
President Ray says he will not rename Gill Coliseum or Arnold Dining Hall, which were also discussed as problematic.