Kaler backs pulling Coffman, other names off U buildings

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said Friday he supports renaming several buildings on the Twin Cities campus, removing the names of past U leaders who supported discrimination against black and Jewish students on campus.

Kaler recommended that Coffman Memorial Union, Nicholson Hall, Middlebrook Hall and Coffey Hall get news names. His position matches up with the recommendations of a campus task force convened last fall to examine building names and history.

A final decision on renaming rests with the university's Board of Regents, although it's unlikely to happen quickly. Kaler noted the regents aren't expected to take action at their upcoming March meeting and will not meet in April.

"I entered this process with an open mind, and at this stage I believe that changing the names is the right path for the University of Minnesota," Kaler said in a statement, adding that he would like to continue hearing from the campus community as well as "the descendants of the individuals after whom the buildings were named."

Coffman is named for former U president Lotus Delta Coffman, who argued that "the races have never lived together, nor have they ever sought to live together."

Coffey Hall is named for another former president, Walter Coffey; Middlebrook Hall is named for former Vice President William Middlebrook; Nicholson Hall is named for former Dean Edward Nicholson.

The four U officials served at a time when the university faced pressure about its policies that segregated black students. According to the task force report, each of the leaders in some way supported policies that other institutions and university officials rejected.

Coffman, for instance, excluded black students from housing and some medical programs, according to the report. The task force also found that Nicholson conducted surveillance on student activists and labeled black and Jewish students as communists.