Forum confronts history of Vanderbilt's Confederate Memorial Hall (TN)
Posted: Monday, August 31, 2015 9:00 am
Anna Butrico
When a Tennessee appeals court rejected Vanderbilt’s 2002 bid to change the name of “Confederate Memorial Hall,” the university was put in an uncomfortable situation: keep the name “Confederate” — which many on campus found offensive — or pay the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) the nearly $1 million they spent on the building ...
“For Vanderbilt and America, the central question, the central challenge, the central failure is really the question of race,” Zeppos said. “Vanderbilt’s own history reflects the failures and trying to meet challenges. I would say that one of the (challenges), the main focus of tonight, is what I would call ‘names and symbols.’ Names and symbols in history” ...
In 1913, the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) made a pledge of $50,000 to Peabody College, which — at that time — was a college separate from Vanderbilt University ...
When Vanderbilt purchased the Peabody campus, Vanderbilt inherited Confederate Memorial Hall — and its name. In 1989, Vanderbilt placed a plaque on Memorial Hall, noting that the building’s purpose was to serve all students, not those originally identified as beneficiaries by the UDC. The previous agreement to provide free rent for UDC females was abolished ...
http://www.vanderbilthustler.com/news/article_4b8e10d8-4f93-11e5-8218-97730d429152.html