UC Berkeley senior administrators are conducting a “comprehensive assessment” of all campus building names, according to campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof, amid recent concerns from students about some building names.
There is a working group of senior administrators that are “just looking” at the names of the campus buildings, totaling more than 150, Mogulof said. He added, however, that there is no guarantee of changes.
“Once it’s complete, (campus administrators) will engage students … (in a) discussion of opinions and ideas of the future,” Mogulof said, adding that the discussion will address whether any existing buildings will be renamed and that the assessment is almost complete.
In 2015, the Black Student Union, or BSU, demanded that Barrows Hall — currently named after former UC Berkeley president David Prescott Barrows — be renamed to honor black activist Assata Shakur, according to a BSU press release.
According to the press release, Barrows was an “imperialist” who contributed to “perpetuating American colonialism, the creation of damaging stereotypes, and the subsequent destruction of cultures.”
Barrows Hall is home to the African American studies, ethnic studies and gender and women’s studies departments.
Contact Jason Tran at jasontran@dailycal.org.