I admittedly only have a cursory understanding of the issues surrounding the (re)naming of Catt Hall. If indeed the name of the hall is changed, The September 29th Movement will have its victory.

But in a few short years, those who had pushed so hard for a change will have graduated and moved on, and the fact that the building was once called Catt Hall and the fundamental reasons the name was changed will fade into the past, becoming only an obscure name footnote in annuls of Iowa State University’s long history.

It seems to me the Movement, and others who feel the same, could make a much longer-lasting statement by conceding that the building should remain Catt Hall. I have not been inside Old Botany Hall, as I fondly remember it, but I imagine there is some kind of memorial inside, commemorating the accomplishments of Catt.

Perhaps university officials would allow an addendum to the memorial which acknowledges the accomplishments and honors of a woman who made so much possible for so many. Instead of ignoring the controversy, the memorial could say something similar to: “However, in her campaign for woman suffrage, she is on record as making statements that today, if not then, are considered racist. This is unacceptable behavior in today’s standards, no matter how badly the leaders desire, or how badly society needs, the changes they espouse — statements that sadly tarnish her illustrious accomplishments and undermine the historical view holding Catt as a great leader.

“Let Catt serve as an example to all individuals, particularly the would-be leaders of tomorrow, who view this memorial today and who strive to leave a recognizable fingerprint in the events of tomorrow, that truly great individuals unceasingly hold themselves to universally upstanding standards, and their behavior, their words and their actions, are seen as exemplary in all generations.”

Catt’s errors are part of history and thus unchangeable. But here is a chance, instead of simply turning the soil, to use the seeds she laid as a chance to learn.

There’s a chance to use her crop as an example of how individuals must understand that, though they will live only so long and their works will seem only temporary, they must be farsighted — they must understand that the memory of the individual and the effects of his or her works will live on. And once dead, they will never again have the chance to make right the wrongs they have committed or to defend actions that once seemed right.

Chris and Dawn Guyer

Ames