The King’s College Releases Decision to Retain All Ten House Namesakes

The crests of the ten retained House namesakes. || Graphic by The King’s College

After months of deliberation, President Gibson announced today that The King’s College will retain all ten House namesakes that were under review. 

This news came as a result of the College’s decision in the spring of 2019 to formally review the namesakes of the ten Houses.

In late July 2019, audio of Ronald Reagan describing Tanzanian delegates in racist terms was released, sparking further controversy for the King's house namesake.

In 1971, in a private call to former President Richard Nixon, the then-governor Reagan discussed a vote by the UN to recognize China, instead of the US ally Taiwan. During this call, he referred to Tanzanian delegates as “monkeys,” saying they were still “uncomfortable wearing shoes.”

Since this news surfaced, the school released a statement in response to Reagan's comments and the Namesake Review Committee (NRC) held their first meeting to review all ten House namesakes. The committee met eight times from October 2019 to March 2020 and was comprised of ten individuals: David Leedy, NRC Chair, non-voting except in case of a tie; Koby Jackson (’20), Student Body President; Dr. Anthony Bradley; Dr. Kimberly Reeve; Dr. David Tubbs; Dr. David Talcott; Leticia Mosqueda; Jonathan Sheaffer (’12); Tyler Cochran (’17); and Rebecca Au-Mullaney (’15).

The college also solicited input from students, faculty and alumni, taking the written feedback of 48 individuals into account. In the end, the NRC completed its review of each namesake, took a vote and submitted their recommendations to the President’s Cabinet for final review, which resulted in the affirmed majority voice of the NRC’s recommendations. 

Among the six specific recommendations made by the NRC and approved by the President's Cabinet was the decision to retain the namesakes, the establishment of new criteria for future namesakes, and the new ability of incoming students to switch Houses based on conscience.

Tomorrow at 9:00 p.m., students will have the opportunity to share their thoughts with the NRC and the President’s Cabinet at the Student Town Hall. Alumni will have a similar town hall later in the week. 

“Throughout this time, we have been guided by the College's values of truth, perseverance, and integrity as our community debated the issues involved,” said President Tim Gibson in an email to students. “I recognize that this announcement will be a relief for some and a disappointment for others.”

For more information on the school’s decision see the official article.