Spring 2018
Community process to select new names for Avery Lodge, Benton Annex and Benton Hall
November 2017
Building and Place Name Evaluation Workgroup and Architectural Naming committee evaluated community input and historical inquiry findings; recommendations on whether to rename and permanent community education made to OSU president; decisions regarding the five buildings under review announced by OSU president.
September-October 2017
Community engagement sessions held to:
- 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 changing the name of the building; and
- share and explain the history of these buildings and places and their namesakes, regardless of any decision.
August 2017
Announcement of timeline for evaluation of Arnold Dining Center, Avery Lodge, Benton Hall and Gill Goliseum. Launch of informational website and community engagement process.
May 2017
The Building and Place Name Evaluation Workgroup, consisting of members of the Architectural Naming Committee, the Building and Place Name Evaluation Subcommittee, and community stakeholders is formed.
April 2017
The Architectural Naming Committee Building and Building and Place Name Evaluation Subcommittee is formed to coordinate the evaluation of building and place name evaluation requests, including the evaluation of Arnold Dining Center, Avery Lodge, Benton Hall and Gill Coliseum.
The Building and Place Name Evaluation Subcommittee is charged to complete the following tasks:
- conducting the preliminary evaluations of renaming requests;
- creating and leading working groups for buildings advanced to the full evaluation stage;
- in collaboration with the working groups, guide the community engagement process when renaming requests are advanced to the full evaluation stage; and
- provide a report to the Architectural Naming Committee setting forth the working group’s findings and recommendations on whether to rename buildings and place names.
March 2017
The Building and Place Name Evaluation Advisory Committee present their recommendations to the OSU community and hold a community forum to discuss a process to evaluate the names of Arnold Dining Center, Avery Lodge, Benton Hall and Gill Coliseum.
March 2017
Students demonstrate on OSU's Corvallis campus calling attention to the namesakes of Arnold Dining Center, Avery Lodge, Benton Hall and Gill Coliseum, who may have held or acted on racist or otherwise exclusionary views.
April 2016
March 2017
The Building and Place Name Evaluation Advisory Committee is formed, meets and drafts the Recommendations to the Architectural Naming Committee for a Renaming Request Evaluation Process.
March 2016
Responding to concerns raised by OSU community members, the Architectural Naming Committee and the Office of Institutional Diversity call for the formation of an advisory committee to help the university determine how to appropriately acknowledge and reconcile the legacy of any Oregon State buildings or places named after individuals who may have held and acted on racist and exclusionary beliefs.
The Architectural Naming Committee charged the Building and Place Name Advisory Committee to complete the following tasks:
- research the history and context of naming and renaming of university buildings and places;
- develop and recommend criteria to the Architectural Naming Committee for renaming of university buildings and places;
- develop and recommend criteria to inform and educate the community about the context, meaning and impact of university building and place names; and
- recommend a role for the community in the naming and renaming process.
Prior to March 2016
Over a period of years, several OSU community members, including students, faculty, alumni and members of the Corvallis community, raised concerns citing potential racist and exclusionary views held by the namesakes of four buildings on the OSU Corvallis campus – Arnold Dining Center, Avery Lodge, Benton Hall and Gill Coliseum.