The Washington Post editorial page is no longer going to call the Washington Redskins by that name -- which reminds us all once again that names can change in all sorts of ways, sometimes even by others changing the name they use. While I am generally against renaming, I do think it may be appropriate in some circumstances. Maybe those who are bent on changing names on the UNC campus -- from Saunders Hall to Aycock Dormitory to Ruffin Dormitory (I'm especially against renaming Ruffin Hall) -- ought to think about starting their own grass roots campaign. I wish more people would take advantage of their options for peaceful self-help rather than expecting administrators to take action.
The image is the door to Aycock dormitory on UNC's campus. To their credit, the UNC website puts Governor Aycock into his historical context.
Just remember that North Carolina has a statute for changing personal names. Here's the petition you need to file for a name change. But you only get to do this once. Maybe that's a good framework for thinking about building name changes!
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