Associated Student Body senators will present a resolution to remove the building name from Vardaman Hall on campus in a committee meeting tonight.
Co-author of the resolution Allen Coon said he and the four other co-authors seek to change the name of Vardaman Hall because it honors a man whose platform was ideas of racial violence and white supremacy.
James K. Vardaman was a Mississippi governor from 1904 to 1908 and U. S. Senator from 1913 to 1919. The hall was built in 1929 to serve as a boys dormitory.
Coon said many people who are opposed to changing Confederate symbols on campus feel the history of the symbol will be lost if items such as the Confederate memorial are removed and buildings such as Vardaman are renamed.
“We want to make sure that we are not doing that,” Coon said. “This resolution not only seeks to change the name of Vardaman Hall, but also seeks to contextualize why that name was changed.”
A portion of this resolution requests that a plaque or inscription be placed noting that the building was formerly named after James K. Vardaman, providing a rationale behind the changing of the name, Coon said.
Coon said campus is actively talking about the issues of race and how it affects students. He said, with a renewed spotlight on these issues, it is very likely that other ASB senators will be receptive to this resolution.
“I think we have momentum,” Coon said. “I think we all understand that we have an obligation to take action.”
