Last semester, President Brown began a campus-wide discussion on the possibility of renaming Wilson Hall, due to President Woodrow Wilson’s racist beliefs and policies. I personally don’t think the building should be renamed, because it’s part of our University’s history (I mean, you can’t imagine Monmouth University without a Wilson Hall), but that’s not the point. In the event that Wilson Hall does end up being renamed, I’ve already come up with a few possible ideas.
Shadow Hall.
Wilson Hall stands directly in front of Shadow Lawn so, hey, it matches! Plus, then we can show some love to our mascot (even if he’s kind of hideous now, thanks to the logo changes).
Kessler Hall.
Hesse Field has its own building now (the once lazily named New Hall), so why not give one to Kessler? This would be a good fit for a Division I school, because everyone likes sports, right?
Annie Hall.
It’s two movie references in one! Woodrow Wilson may have never lived here, but Daddy Warbucks did -- way to highlight Monmouth’s main claim to fame (say that five times fast). You can guess the other reference.
Dogwood, Sequoia, or Sycamore Hall.
Screw it -- let’s just name another building after another tree. That’s easy enough. After all, we have a very green campus with lots of trees, so it makes perfect sense. At least there are still plenty to pick from.
Larchwood or Norwood Hall.
Some of the residence halls on campus (such as Cedar and Pinewood) are also street names in West Long Branch, so either of these names would be completely plausible choices. Why not.
Guggenheim Hall.
Okay, so this is already the name of our campus library, but it’s such a fun word to say! Clearly it has a nice ring to it. Guggenheim. Yeah, that works. So many Gs!
Blank Hall.
Of course, this name would only be temporary. We can change it again in 10 years after some wealthy person donates a boatload of money to the school. It would be like New Hall, only old -- very old.
(Your name here0 Hall
“Obviously, they should name the building after me!" Yeah, I’ve had that same thought. But unless you have millions of dollars sitting in your back pocket, keep dreaming, plebe -- at least for now.
What new name would you suggest for Wilson Hall? Do you think Wilson Hall should even get a new name? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments below!
