In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in the summer of 2020, the university committed to positive fundamental change on campus. It was swift—within hours of the Board of Supervisors approving the renaming of Middleton Library, university employees began prying the letters off the building. That was on June 19, 2020.
This response came after continued student activism urging the university to take measures to stop idolizing racist figures under these stately oaks and broad magnolias.
However, that was where the urgency ended.
In the weeks following the renaming of Middleton Library, the university committed to forming a building renaming committee. This group would review the numerous campus buildings bearing names of individuals who reflect poorly on a university supposedly committed to inclusivity and diversity. Then-president Tom Galligan said that students could expect the committee to be formed by August 2020.
Sure enough, the committee was announced in a campus-wide email alert sent on Aug. 11, 2020.
The committee was tight-lipped throughout the process, with the next update coming six months later in February 2021. Vice President of the Division of Strategic Communications Jim Sabourin told the Reveille that “the LSU community can tentatively expect to see a list of names up for removal within the next few months.”
Months passed with no update.
Then, in June 2021, the Reveille published another article revealing that the last time the committee met was in March 2021. Vice Provost for Diversity Dereck Rovaris said at the time that, “We’re close to wrapping it up, I believe. If I had to guess, now that I think about it, I’d say by September we should have that recommendation to the provost. It could be a lot sooner than that though.”
This was the last time the LSU community heard any update on the committee’s work. It has been a secretive and painfully slow process, especially considering how quickly the university showed itself capable of working when renaming Middleton Library. They clearly and regrettably wasted little time in vetting their members, as Executive Deputy Athletics Director Verge Ausberry was named to the committee just months before he was engulfed in the campus sexual assault scandal.
When I reached out to Faculty Senate president and renaming committee member Mandi Lopez this week, she had nothing new to share, saying that she had “not heard a word about it in many months.”
Was the building renaming committee just another university public relations stunt all along? Students, it seems, were right to be skeptical of the university’s commitment to change back in July 2020, calling their efforts “lackluster.” 
To regain the student body’s trust, President William Tate needs to take immediate action on the renaming of these 13 university buildings. Otherwise, the committee is nothing more than a stall tactic. 
Mr. President, take down those names.