Author: Ryan Graff
When students returned from winter break, it was not made apparent that the road formerly known as Coons Road, which runs through the heart of campus, had undergone a name change to AGC Road. The name “Coons” has been the topic of much debate lately, one that was brought about by The Coalition, a group of equality-seeking students founded last semester. The Coalition views the name “Coons” as racially loaded and called for the removal of the name from campus in order to encourage tolerance. While the name offends some individuals, I would argue that “Coons” is merely a last name that has no connotation of racial negativity, and removing it from Occidental’s campus is an ill-advised decision. It appears that the administration has enacted a solution without ever considering the nature of the problem. The administration’s complete silence on this issue has made it necessary to ask an important question: What’s in a name?
I am not against a name change in itself. However, against the secretive context in which it was performed and the lack of a formal announcement. Renaming the road suggests that the administration and campus officials have acknowledged that a change needed to be made, but their silence leads students like myself to question why the name change was made so quietly. Those involved are not doing anything to keep the student body informed. Since we are unaware of the circumstances behind the change, we have been forced into ignorance and speculation on the topic.
The flyer that The Coalition distributed in November called attention to every appearance of former college president Arthur G. Coons’ surname. Does this suggest that the renaming of Coons Road will not be the only act the administration takes on this issue? Is the administration building subject to the same change?
If this is the case, the silence surrounding the road renaming might carry over. This would lead to more confusion around campus and push students into an even more oblivious state.
Everyone should take into consideration that the renaming issue affects our campus as a whole. Instead of allowing ourselves to be satisfied by this decision, the Occidental community should work toward embracing former president Coons’ name and what it represents rather than pointing fingers at the unfortunate racial slur that it happens to coincide with.
Perhaps, in the future, the word “Coons” will solely stand for pride of higher education rather than an antiquated racial ignominy. The name should continue to exist on our campus while we collectively battle its negative connotations.
Ryan Graff is an undeclared first-year. He can be reached at graff@oxy.edu.
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