Daniels Hall. Tompkins Hall. Poe Hall. Probably more that I don’t even know about yet. All these NC State buildings share one massive problem: they’re named after individuals that followed ideologies of segregation and closed-mindedness. This is, unfortunately, a major pattern across campus.

The problem with Poe Hall is that, in some aspects, Clarence Hamilton Poe (1881-1964) actually had a few ideas in mind about spreading tolerance and unity between the different racial groups in America. He pushed for better education and treatment for African-Americans. Furthermore, as his biography on the North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame’s website states that Poe strived to improve the lives of ordinary farmers in the South, and bring the latest and greatest technologies to the farmstead to improve their day-to-day routines. But, that’s not the full picture.

As Elizabeth A. Herbin-Triant wrote in her article “Southern Segregation South Africa–Style: Maurice Evans, Clarence Poe, and the Ideology of Rural Segregation”: “South Africa provided a model of rural segregation for Southerners to observe and—Poe hoped—follow. What white men were doing in South Africa to preserve their ascendancy inspired Poe, and he drew confidence from being part of a global trend.”

Poe was a supporter of a movement that we, as a college community, directly oppose today. The separation of people groups based on traits does not match our message of compassion and togetherness. Rather, segregation breeds fear, hate, contempt, disgust and many other negative feelings. It’s disappointing to have to find out these horrendous things about respected figures, but we should never shy away from the truth.

These names on campus structures create several issues. The most obvious problem with this trend is that every building named after a controversial figure is one less that could be named after an individual in NC State history that truly deserves it. But the issue goes deeper than that.

Having structures named after these problematic figures makes it appear as if we are willing, as a college, to selectively ignore these negative traits and ideologies so that we can honor just what we want to and sweep everything else under the rug. At the very least, it makes us look like we aren’t willing to do the proper research necessary to correct our mistakes and keep up with the more open-minded and unified modern times.

Thus, with that being said, I can understand the argument that renaming Poe Hall should not be a priority like renaming campus buildings named after explicitly racist figures like Daniel Augustus Tompkins. However, I argue that it’s better to go ahead and play it safe by renaming it. It’s better to have a building named after one of the leaders of academics and athletics that fill our university’s history, than to have one named after an individual that was “good in some aspects, not-so-good in others.”

I also understand why some might say that while Poe, Daniels, and Tompkins were definitely not shining beacons of decency — few famous figures are. I completely acknowledge that many of the old role models of bygone eras that we hold ourselves to often turn out to not be exactly who we thought they were; and if it’s not racism, it’s something else.

My argument is that while, of course, no individual after whom an NC State campus building is named was perfect, the issue with figures like Poe and Tompkins is that their names stand staunchly in the way of NC State’s message of diversity and solidarity. No one is perfect, but when a building’s name honors someone whose values went against the ones we hold today, it’s time to make a change. 

There are definitely other campus structures bearing the names of individuals who, as previously described, don’t deserve it. The names above the doors of our buildings should not just honor the life and achievements of these individuals, but honor the NC State message itself. Therefore, when certain names fail to do so, it’s time to find new names. Like I said, no historical figure was perfect. But we must be open and compassionate with those in our community, and not let accomplishments divert our attention from the whole truth.