Clemson University removes pro-slavery name from honors college

The Clemson University Board of Trustees has voted to remove John C. Calhoun's name from its Honors College.

The Greenville News reports that he board unanimously voted to remove Calhoun, a former U.S. vice president and proponent of slavery. The college has been rebranded The Clemson University Honors College.

"Clemson must also recognize that there are central figures in Clemson's history whose beliefs and actions do not represent the university's core values ... and as our values guide us, we are listening," board Chairman Smythe McKissick says. 

A petition to remove the name of Calhoun — a slave owner and secessionist whose South Carolina plantation became Clemson University —  drew nearly 20,000 signatures and the support of notable Clemson football alumni Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins.

Hannah Connelly, a recent Clemson graduate who helped spearhead a push for the Calhoun name removal, says the change illustrates a shift in thinking for university leadership. 

"So they're understanding that history is one thing, but choosing to honor certain parts of the history are a very different thing," Connelly says

University President Jim Clements says he will begin meeting with students and faculty next week to discuss how Clemson can continue to move forward.

"George Floyd's horrible death certainly expedited the discussion," Clements said. "But we know we have a lot of work to do ... and we are fully committed."

Floyd was was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis last month after white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Board member Bob Peeler also introduced a resolution to ask the South Carolina Legislature to grant a one-time authority for the board to return Tillman Hall to its original name, Old Main.

Benjamin "Pitchfork" Tillman was a governor and white supremacist whose name adorns Clemson's most iconic building.

The building's name is subject to the state's Heritage Act, which requires a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly to change any aspect of historical structures.

For years, various groups of students have been working to remove the name, which was added in 1981, but national protests against police brutality and systemic racism have propelled the current call for a change to the national stage.