Princeton: Woodrow Wilson’s name will remain on campus buildings

Princeton University on Monday ruled out removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from its campus buildings despite accusations that the former president was racist.

“Princeton must openly and candidly recognize that Wilson, like other historical figures, leaves behind a complex legacy of both positive and negative repercussions,” the school’s board said in a statement, according to The New York Times. “[Using Wilson’s name] implies no endorsement of views and actions that conflict with the values and aspirations of our time.”

{mosads}The New York Times on Monday reported that the Black Justice League, a student activist group, began challenging Wilson’s legacy last September. The group distributed posters on campus documenting Wilson’s views on race, especially noting his vocal support for segregation.

The Associated Press on Monday reported that Black Justice League protesters then conducted a 32-hour sit-in at Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber’s office that began Nov. 18.

Eisgruber on Monday said that the debate over Wilson’s character had produced a more measured view of the former Princeton president.

“Last fall’s student protests and the thoughtful discussions that followed have changed how this campus will remember Woodrow Wilson, and, I suspect, how our country will remember him as well,” he said in a statement obtained by The Hill.

“I count myself among those who have learned from this process,” Eisgruber added. “I now have a deeper appreciation for Wilson’s failings and what those failings have meant to this country and our campus. I recognize the need to describe him in a way that is more balanced, and more faithful to history, than this university and I have previously done.”

The Associated Press on Monday reported that Wilson’s name will remain on Princeton’s public policy school despite the controversy.

Princeton has also opened an exhibit titled “In the Nation’s Service? Wilson revisited” that acknowledges both his accomplishments and bigotry, it added.

The New York Times on Monday reported that a mural of the president also remains hanging in Princeton’s dining hall.

Wilson College President Eduardo Cadava is responsible for the mural’s display, it added, but has not rendered a final verdict on the image.

The reports come as the university on Monday was holding an exhibit that “examines (the) contested legacy of Woodrow Wilson.”