Community Engagement

A central component of the evaluation process is engagement with the greater Oregon State community and key stakeholders. To provide input into the evaluation process, community members are asked to think deeply and critically about the purpose of building and place names, the legacies of individuals after whom university buildings and places are named, and how evaluating these names advance Oregon State’s values and mission to create an educational environment that respects and affirms the inherent dignity of all individuals and communities. 

The goals for the community engagement process are: 

  • Provide information, enable dialogue and build community consensus on the importance of acting on OSU’s mission and values through evaluating building names and places;

  • Review the history of these buildings and their namesakes in the context of OSU’s history;

  • Transparently engage the community in this process by reviewing and discussing findings;

  • Enable OSU community members and stakeholders to openly, constructively and safely share their views on this subject;

  • Reconcile the building namesakes’ views or actions with the contemporary values of the OSU community and the university’s mission;

  • Gather community and stakeholder input on whether to change the names of the buildings; and

  • Share and explain the history of these buildings and places and their namesakes, regardless of any decision.

Calendar

Community Engagement Sessions

  • Session One, September 28, 5:30pm-7:30pm, MU Horizon Room
  • Session Two, October 2, 12pm-2pm, MU Horizon Room

Building Name Evaluation Sessions

Community Input Analysis

A qualitative summary and assessment of the data gathered during the community engagement process is available here.