Room named for Cohen

Months of controversy surrounding the naming of an East Quad Residence Hall reading room after RC Prof. Carl Cohen have come to a close with University officials deciding to name the room after Cohen.

"We certainly deplore the attacks on his personal character that have occurred and regret that the decision making process proceeded for the length of time and in the manner it did," a joint written statement from President Lee Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor states.

The statement revealed many pieces of information in the chain of events that led to the debate surrounding the naming of the room after Cohen, who has actively spoken out against the University's use of race in admissions.

The naming of the reading room was a fund-raiser for the Residential College, of which Cohen was a founder. "When donors were solicited, they were told an 'anonymous donor' had already come forward to contribute $10,000 to name the room in honor of Professor Cohen," according to the statement.

The statement reveals that Cohen himself was the original anonymous donor.

Though Cohen said he could not comment on the events that led to the decision, he said he was "deeply honored by the decision the University made and gratified by the support from many students and staff."

According to the joint statement, that donation plus $13,000 more that was raised did not meet the $50,000 needed for name dedication.

Confusion arose about naming procedures and which University body had control of the room itself. The plan to name the reading room after Cohen was revoked in October amidst the controversy. Though University officials deny that decision was tied to Cohen's views on race-based admissions, many students speculated last semester that it was the case. "As we have previously said, the Residential College and (the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts), inadvertently and in good faith, mistakenly thought that they had the authority to name this particular space," Bollinger wrote.

It was found that Residential Housing and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs actually controlled the space. Those two groups "over a year ago announced procedures for naming residential facilities," according to the statement.

Bollinger wrote that the University, not Cohen, is responsible "for potentially misleading donors in these solicitations."

Other students said they are frustrated about the decisions that led to the naming of the reading room.

"Every time I use my M-Card or attend a University football game, I know that the University's love and admiration can be bought," said Gregg Lanier, LSA Student Government vice president.

Due to the holiday break, the official decision has not been able to be addressed by LSA-SG. "It's something that we'll look into," Lanier said.

Bollinger wrote the decision to finally name the reading room was based on two facts, one being the belief that Cohen believes that the University made "a moral commitment" to honor him. The second factor in the decision was based on the fact that a large portion of the University community believed that the naming of the room for Cohen was revoked because of his views on race-based admissions.

The administration wanted to "reaffirm the University's commitment to academic freedom," the statement said.

01-06-99