Clemson Honors College Will Change Name After Demand From Former Top Players
By Max Bevington
As college football programs across the country continue to respond to the issue of racism, some notable former Clemson Tiger players put pressure on their alma matter to change the name of the school's Honors College.
Since 1982, the honors college at Clemson was named for John C. Calhoun. Calhoun, a South Carolina politician who served as a US Senator, Vice President, and US Secretary of State, was a staunch defender of slavery in the decades leading up to the Civil War.
This morning, our Clemson Board of Trustees approved two important actions on the name of the Honors College and Tillman Hall.
— Clemson University (@ClemsonUniv) June 12, 2020
Former Tigers who spoke out on the name of the Honors College include former star quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Watson took to Twitter earlier this week to express his solidarity with Clemson faculty, students, and Hopkins, who have all been outspoken on this issue.
Clemson University should not honor slave owner John C. Calhoun in any way. His name should be removed from all University property and programming. I am joining the students, faculty & DeAndre to restart this petition to rename the Calhoun Honors College.https://t.co/GdhtCZKFnZ
— Deshaun Watson (@deshaunwatson) June 9, 2020
The new name of the Honors College will now be the Clemson University Honors College. A short and sweet name that, most importantly, does not honor a man who championed human being owning other human beings as property.
Clemson's honors program is not the only renaming the university aims to do. Tillman Hall, a building named after former pro-lynching South Carolina Governor Benjamin Tillman, is also set to be rebranded.
However, the university's desire to rename Tillman Hall and the honors college may prove difficult due to a South Carolina state law called the Heritage Act, which prohibits public universities from renaming monuments or buildings related to the Confederacy or Civil Rights. Nonetheless, it is great to see Clemson taking a stand and doing the right thing.