Policies
Prior to the forming of the Policy committee, the name Troy H. Middleton was removed from LSU’s library. The library is a place where our students of color should feel welcome and safe as they study, learn, and congregate with their peers. Middleton was a former LSU president whose staunch opposition to desegregation was vocal and clear. Building and place names should not be a reminder of a racist past, reminders that inhibit our students’ learning and their full inclusion on campus. Our history is stained with racism; we must eradicate the present impact of that sad past.
The Policy committee has convened a committee to review and study other building names on campus to determine if they are symbols or monuments to racism. This review of naming practices examines existing and future construction to ensure names reflect University values.
Also explored are opportunities for renaming construction where appropriate and possible, and exploring opportunities for contextualizing legacy names for construction that for legal or other reasons cannot be altered (e.g. informational plaques, reflective installations, digital map layers).
The Policies committee has drafted an LSU Statement of Community Expectations for all LSU institutions to be adopted by the Board of Supervisors. A standing, permanent University Policy Review Council has been established to review student-facing policies that impact diversity and provide recommendations or revisions to the President and the Provost.
Committee Members
- Angela Blank
- Chad Brackin
- Michelle Carter
- Winston DeCuir
- Walta Ghebreiyessus
- Catherine Herman
- Richala Jackson
- Ryan Landry
- John Lewis
- Jared Llorens
- Mandi Lopez
- Karina Rafati
- William Richardson
- Jonathon Sanders
- Tommy Smith
- Ivory Toldson