Yale University Has A College Named After A Defender Of Slavery, Now They'll Change Its Name

In the heart of New Haven, Connecticut stands one of America¡¯s most respected and widely hailed educational institutes of all time- Yale. If education is the great pedestal on which great lives stand and futures are forged, then it won¡¯t be wrong to hail the prestigious Yale University as a tradition of sorts.

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Knowledge and intellectual mentation, rich culture and diverse history- all of these make Yale more than just any other Ivy League college. And yet, over 400 years later, by doing something rather extraordinarily simple such as a name change to one of its colleges, Yale has managed to both strike off some history and generate massive news.

Here¡¯s what happened that¡¯s creating buzz around Yale

Yale University houses as many as 12 Residential Colleges in its all-encompassing spread. One of these is the famous and historic Calhoun College, formed in 1933. It is important to note that the college is named after a famous American, John C. Calhoun, an alumnus of the great American institution way back in 1804.

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Real events, History books and, concurrently current media outlets brand Calhoun, a Yale graduate nearly 212 years before as a White supremacist and fierce defender of slavery. America has itself underlined the historic figure as a slavery proponent.

For all intents and purposes, slavery, a botched evil is principally opposed to the fundamental human rights and liberties and dignities of a democracy. Therefore, is contrary to the spirit of magnanimous institutions like Yale that stand at the heart of a country known for being the land of the brave and home of the free.

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So when Yale decided to strike off Calhoun from the said college¡¯s name, in a bid to associate with a positive redevelopment, a lot of buzz was created. The news is that Yale is all set to rechristen the Calhoun College to Grace Murray Hopper College, the new name marking respect to celebrated math whiz who earned Yale degrees in the 1930s. Interestingly, the lady had also served in the American Navy as an Admiral.

Also, Grace Hopper¡¯s legendary work in Math has contributed to the development of Computer Science.

A history plied with slavery and an evocative response to better the future

Determined to regard Yale and its history through ties with positive landmarks and people, Yale¡¯s Board is ambitious and driven to mark respect to American heroes like Hopper and feels, rightly so, that anything associating itself with slavery is making Yale¡¯s name obscure.

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But truth be told, not everyone is so drawn to a bold but definitive move of Yale¡¯s that speaks loudly in support of giving an ode to the ingenious American spirit. Detractors continue to cry foul, lamenting this decision. Going as far as calling it an underwhelming move of a sort, one of Fox News contributors, Geraldo Rivera immediately resigned from Yale University¡¯s Calhoun College as an Associate Fellow. Rivera called Yale¡¯s decision a stand of political correctness and appeared sour over the ensuing action.

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Interestingly, how historians treat this currently will be fascinating to see especially since John C. Calhoun served the United States as one of its Vice Presidents- 1825 to 1832 and even served as secretary of state, secretary of war and, as a US Senator. He passed away back in 1850.

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But, in response to the huge media outcry and the latest developments, Yale¡¯s Peter Salovey has responded, saying, ¡°John C. Calhoun¡¯s Principles, and work as a supporter of slavery are at odd¡¯s with this university¡±.