Concerns over ties to campus organization
Two more prominent figures in a university’s history are in trouble for racist ties.
The University of Wisconsin at Madison is planning to rename two places on campus named for alumni who were part of a campus organization called “Ku Klux Klan,” Madison 365 reports.
It is unclear whether or not this campus organization was tied to the national organization of the KKK.
The first figure, Porter Butts, had a gallery named after him, and the second figure, Frederic March, had a theater named after him. The gallery will be renamed “Main Gallery” and the theater “Play Circle.”
The Wisconsin Union Council, which is the governing body of the union and manages union operations, passed a resolution that would move Butts’ name to a “non-programming location” and remove March’s name entirely.
The resolution tried to address the fact that Butts founded the Wisconsin Union by “adding an interactive kiosk, installing a temporary Butts biographical piece and providing education on the history of both the campus and national Ku Klux Klan,” Madison 365 reports.
The resolution is awaiting official approval before it takes effect. Chancellor Rebecca Blank has indicated that she supports the resolution and is expected to give her approval, according to an email sent by a university spokesperson to Madison 365.
The resolution was a result of open forums held by the Union in which students and other community members indicated they disapproved of having the names displayed.
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