Building Renaming Policy

Procedures for Addressing Concerns Related To Names

Endorsed by Smith’s Board of Trustees, February 2024

The Naming Policy of Smith College indicates that “Where a concern about an existing naming is raised, the President may task the College Archivist with conducting preliminary research to be reviewed by the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and any additional members of the President’s Team she deems necessary to determine whether a committee should be convened to discuss potential renaming. If so, the Procedures for Addressing Concerns Related To Names will be followed.” The document serves to outline the procedures by which naming concerns are reviewed and solutions proposed.

Smith College has a long history of conferring naming honors to a variety of buildings, interior and exterior spaces, programs, centers and objects since its earliest days. These names become part of the fabric of the Smith College experience. As such, the college seeks to ensure that the practice of naming is undertaken with care and deliberation. Smith College is committed to creating an inclusive, equitable and accessible educational community where all members are welcomed, respected and valued. That commitment to inclusion extends to the naming included in this policy. The College recognizes that names can influence how welcome individuals feel in an environment and strives to ensure that present-day users of campus buildings feel welcome studying, working and/or living in them. As such, the college seeks to ensure that the practice of naming is undertaken with care and deliberation.

If renaming is proposed due to concerns regarding the existing name, the Procedures for Addressing Concerns Related To Names will be undertaken with great care and thoughtful discernment. It is important to research the totality and trajectory of the namesake’s actions and expressed beliefs. Renaming should not result in erasing or sanitizing institutional history; rather, we should make explicit and seek to address the complex and sometimes problematic nature of our growth as an institution. Consideration of renaming is an opportunity for discourse, learning and community engagement. To fulfill these principles, the College should consider all possible avenues, including educational mechanisms (e.g., a plaque, a website, a lecture series) to enable community members to grapple with the nuances of a namesake’s positive and negative contributions. Renaming or not renaming, educational mechanisms, and other actions may be undertaken exclusively or simultaneously.

When concern about a namesake arises, the President may task the College Archivist with conducting preliminary research to be reviewed by the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and any additional members of the President’s Team they deem necessary to determine whether a committee should be convened to discuss potential renaming. If the President, in consultation with the President’s Team, determines that the preliminary research reveals sufficient evidence to warrant a full consideration, relevant team members will convene an ad hoc committee appointed by the President to undertake this work.

The committee will include students, staff and faculty chosen in collaboration with relevant governing groups. Normally, the committee will include the College Archivist and other appropriate representatives as determined by the President or their designee. The committee will:

  • Conduct or commission substantive and extensive research into the namesake; the quality of the research must adhere to the highest academic standards.
  • Undertake a holistic discussion guided by the principles stated above
  • Solicit input from all members of the Smith community
  • Make a recommendation to the President, articulated in light of the principles. These recommendations may include, but are not limited to, renaming, not renaming, providing education about the namesake, any combination thereof, or any recommendation the committee believes necessary to accomplish these principles.
     

After receiving the committee's recommendation, the President will take appropriate action based on that recommendation, including engaging the naming authority noted in the Naming Policy if relevant.