University of Oregon community reacts to Deady Hall denaming

The building will be renamed University Hall while the Board of Trustees begins the procedure of finding new name candidates.

The university of oregon has officially denamed deady hall.

While the board of trustees puts together a list of candidates for a new name...the building will hold the name university hall.

Kezi 9 news reporter andrew haubner talked with oregon alumni who were students during the first debate over the name change...and why they think the university changed course just two years later.

There is no more deady hall...putting an end to a debate that started back in 2016...but one that was felt by black students at the u of o long before that.

Blair barnes: it was a word of mouth thing.

Everyone pretty much knew.

I would say the difference was black students felt more...this problem was a bit more personal to us.

Blair barnes and james vos are alumni of the university of oregon...who were both around when the names deady and dunn halls were up for review.

Barnes was a member of the student government and vos was a student.

James vos: you kind of make the decision knowing full well you're gonna have to go all the way and do it eventually.

So why not do it?

But the question some are asking is why now...as opposed to 2016-2017...when the issue was first brought to light?

Blair barnes: institutions around the country and they're all renaming their buildings and acknowledging colonization and it's effects.

And i think because it's such a trend, folks are looking at this like why now?

You know?

Trustee andrew colas released a statement this week after the trustee's decision to dename deady...saying there is signficant work ahead but it starts with recognizing the important contributions black people have made and how critical their success...freedom...a nd well being factors into everyone elses.

James: i feel like people are thinking ever so slightly more critically.

I don't want to give the world too much credit because there is so much more work to do and so much more work against it as well.

But i thinkthere's a willingness to read things in their full.

As of right now there is no set criteria for new name candidates...and a specific meeting date and procedure is still to be determined as well.

Reporting in eugene...andrew haubner...kezi 9 news.