Yale profs disagree with the school’s decision to keep the Calhoun name

Inside the college walls, the title of “master” was eliminated. Outside the name of a leading slavery advocate, John C. Calhoun, remained at the entrance.

Those actions, taken recently by Yale University sent a muddled, mixed message, rather than effectively addressing racial concerns on campus.

So concluded three Yale professors in a roundtable discussion on the recent campus unrest. The professors — Law School Professor Tracey Meares; Alicia Schmidt Camacho, professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, as well as what until now has been called associate “master” of Yale’s Ezra Stiles residential college; and Vesla Weaver, as assistant professor of African-American studies and political science —  held the discussion on the latest episode of WNHH radio’s “Kica’s Corner” program hosted by Kica Matos.

They began the discussion by focusing on a series of decisions announced on April 27 by Yale President Peter Salovey in response to demands by student and faculty protesters that included the removal of John Calhoun’s name from a residential college. Salovey announced that Yale will no longer use the title “master” for the person in charge of each of its residential colleges. He also announced that the name of Calhoun College —  honoring leading slavery advocate John Calhoun —  will not be changed.

The panelists all agreed that the name should have been changed. ...