COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP/WSPA) — The University of South Carolina is joining Clemson University in asking the South Carolina Legislature to change the name of a building that honors a controversial medical doctor.
If trustees agree on Friday, the University of South Carolina will ask to remove the name of J. Marion Sims from a women’s residence hall on campus.
Getting approval from the Legislature is an uphill battle as it requires a two-thirds vote.
Sims, who was white, has been honored as the father of modern gynecology, but he did experimental work on female slaves without anesthesia.
University President Bob Caslen released this statement regarding the renaming:
I believe we are at a point in our nation’s history where action matters more than words alone. That is why I enthusiastically endorsed the recommendation from the Presidential Commission to rename Sims. This change will require the university to ask the General Assembly for an exemption to the Heritage Act, which forbids renaming of state-owned buildings without a two-thirds vote of the legislature.
If approved by the General Assembly, I look forward to sharing with you the process by which a new name will be selected…I know this change will not end the debate about the names of other buildings on campus, and some will think we are moving too slowly. I can assure you there are other buildings up for review by the Commission, and that we are moving this review as expeditiously as we can while adhering to the law put in place by the State of South Carolina.”
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRESIDENT BOB CASLEN
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