I would like to start off by letting the members of The September 29th Movement know that I admire them. Amidst the name-calling and finger-pointing, they have stuck to their convictions, and you have got to appreciate that.

However, I believe what they are standing for is wrong. The issue here is not about meetings with the GSB, or Jischke’s reaction to whatever, it is about Catt Hall. It’s about the fact that she may have had racist views and we cannot have her name on a building because of this … or can we?

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, yet we built monuments to them. We built these historical monstrosities not because they were racist, but because they had great accomplishments and contributions to our society. Apparently Jischke and the Board of Regents felt that Carrie Chapman Catt’s accomplishments and contributions to our school were enough to warrant the naming of a building after her.

So, the idea of renaming Catt Hall is absurd to me. It is as absurd as tearing down the Washington and Jefferson Memorials and replacing them with something “less offensive.” Is Iowa State really going to be a better place if we change this?

Rob Johnson

Freshman

Political science and finance