October 8, 2021
Wednesday, October 6, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (SA) student association met to discuss the renaming of buildings on campus as well as the vaccination rate at UWL. At the start of the meeting, the Senate sworn in two new Senators for the Hmong Educational Promotion Organization (HOPE) and Asian Student Organization (ASO) seats.
They also discussed an upcoming event called S’mores with Senators. This is an event where voters can ask questions and communicate with Senators. It will take place on Monday, October 18 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and s’mores will be provided.
Academic Center Director Kyle Burke said, “The vaccination campaign is going very well. The current vaccination rate at UWL is 76.8% of students who report being fully vaccinated. This means that they will draw the first round of purses. Seven students will be selected to receive scholarships of $ 750, which will take place on Friday, October 8e.
Grants to Student Organizations are now open, which means student organizations can apply to receive a grant to be used for events and other necessities in an organization. The first round of grant applications ends on Friday, October 8e, but there will still be money to apply after this date.
SA also brought a new resolution to support the reestablishment of condiment distributors. The campus will bring condiment dispensers back to the Union by Monday, October 11. They will be disinfected every 15 minutes to ensure the safety of people. There will also be gloves and disinfectant next to the dispensers so people can use them as needed.
SA then started a discussion on the renaming of the building of the Union of Students and the Palace of Fine Arts. Chancellor Joe Gow wants to change the Student Union to Lillian Smith Davenport Student Union. Lillian Davenport was an activist and the first African American woman to graduate from UWL.
Gow also wants to transform the Palace of Fine Arts into the Truman Lowe Center for Fine Arts. Truman Lowe was an Indigenous artist who graduated from UWL and well known in the community of La Crosse. The decision to change the name would have to go through the Board of Regents, but Gow wanted the students to contribute. He is also considering proposing it to a referendum to find out the opinion of the students.
People have reached out to Truman Lowe’s wife and daughter and they are excited for the change. They have tried to contact any family of Lillian Davenport, but it is still unclear if there are any living relatives. Joe Gow said he came up with the idea after UW-Madison changed the name of one of their buildings.
Gow’s remarks from the welcome and opening remarks are available online. Burke said, “This is part of his [Chancellor Gow] commitment to diversity around the institution, so there are new scholarships coming up which are also part of this plan.
The process of designating a building is ultimately up to the Board of Regents. Most buildings on campus that are named after individuals are based on the amount of money an individual or group contributes. SA Chairman Jared Zwettler said, “There is usually a specific amount the board would like to see that goes with a building name, and that is system policy. “
There would be costs to change the signage on the building but at this stage of the planning, the administration does not know where the funding will come from or how much funding will be required.
The SA discussed the idea of ​​involving minority student organizations in the conversation as well as the SA to better understand the impact the name change could have on campus and influence diversity.
This will be an ongoing discussion in the AS and on campus throughout the year as more people have a say and the plan continues to be developed.
