MTSU's Forrest Hall task force met Thursday night in the Sam Ingram building on campus to debate whether to recommend a name change for the ROTC building or take no action at all.
This meeting comes after three public forums which were held about the building dedicated to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. The meeting was for deliberation only and not public input. Several members of the task force offered their input on which direction to go. NewsRadioWGNS' Jackson Jones has more...
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We spoke with MTSU Student Government President Lindsay Pierce about what she took away from the meeting and what was suggested..
Senator Bill Ketron said to not change the name. "If you take down the name you're destroying history," said Ketron.
President of the MTSU Faculty Senate Dr. Tricia Farwell said in regards to a name change, "People will not go up, read a plaque, and be happy about it."
President of the MTSU Alumni Association Tony Beard said, "What if we ask the students? We don't go to school here anymore. We are a different campus."
Chairman of the Task Force and faculty member of Global Studies Derek Frisby, offered his suggestion with naming it after MTSU alumni Joe Nunley Sr. "We don't have a single honor for an MTSU faculty member," said Frisby.
Elizabeth Catte, an MTSU graduate student in history, exclaimed towards Senator Ketron during the meeting and what he was suggesting calling him a bigot. She and other students immediately walked out after.
By the end of the meeting, Frisby recommended they meet again Tuesday, April 19th to deliberate in more detail before making a decision.
MTSU President Sidney McPhee asked the panel to recommend by April whether the building should be renamed; retain the name but with added historical perspective; or recommend that no action or change is warranted.
The Tennessee Board of Regents would have to approve any recommended name change and other state authorities would likely have to give approval as well.
For more information about the task force, including a list of its members, visit www.mtsu.edu/forresthall.
