On Monday, the Princeton University board of trustees announced that they had voted to keep Woodrow Wilson’s name on campus buildings and programs, according to Reuters.
Wilson is a former president of Princeton, and was the 28th U.S. president from 1913 to 1921. He also admired the Ku Klux Klan and supported segregation.
Despite this, Wilson has always been a respected figure at Princeton, and the New Jersey school has upheld his legacy for decades. In September, a group of students identfying themselves as the Black Justice League organized protests around campus and plastered certain areas of the school with posters that revealed Wilson’s views on race and social issues during his presidency.
According to the board of trustees who voted against removing Wilson’s name from all campus buildings, the former president’s policies and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect the opinions of those who run the school today.
“Princeton must openly and candidly recogize that Wilson, like other historical figures, leaves behind a complex legacy of both positive and negative repercussions,” the board said in their report. “The use of his name implies no endorsement of views and actions that conflict with the values and aspirations of our times.”
Following the protests and concerns of minority students, the board put together a special committee to discuss what actions to take regarding whether or not to continue to uphold Wilson’s legacy. The protesters requested that a mural of Wilson be removed from the campus dining hall and that the staff and faculty be better trained on how to create a more inclusive culture on campus that minority students can feel safe in. While the mural has yet to be removed, school officials did agree to the students’ latter demand, according to The New York Times.