University College London renames lecture theatres after criticism over eugenicist links

Ewan Somerville19 June 2020

University College London has renamed lecture theatres and a building named after a pair of prominent eugenicists after Black Lives Matter activists petitioned for their removal.

The university said on Friday that the Galton Lecture Theatre had been renamed as Lecture Theatre 115, the Pearson Lecture Theatre changed to Lecture Theatre G22 and the Pearson Building to the North-West Wing.

Francis Galton was a Victorian statistican and polymath who is considered the father of the eugenics movement. His protégé, Karl Pearson, was the first holder of the Galton Chair of Eugenics at UCL and wrote a three-volume biography of Galton following his death in 1911.

UCL said that signs would be taken down with immediate effect, while other changes to the names on maps and signposts would take place as soon as “practicable”.

It is the latest university forced to confront its history, as students buoyed by global anti-racism protests sparked by George Floyd’s death in US police custody ramp up pressure on faculty bosses to “decolonise” campuses and curriculums.

UCL came under fire for the building names
PA

Earlier this week, the governing body of Oriel College, Oxford, voted to bring down the statue of Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes after hundreds of students staged two protests demanding "Rhodes must fall".

Galton coined the term eugenics and endowed UCL with his personal collection and archive.

More than 2,500 petitioned UCL demanding it address its “eugenics history” and rename the building and lecture theatre.

Oxford protest over Cecil Rhodes statue - In pictures

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UCL president and provost Professor Michael Arthur said the move was an “important first step” in the university confronting its own history.

“This problematic history has, and continues, to cause significant concern for many in our community and has a profound impact on the sense of belonging that we want all of our staff and students to have,” he said.

“Although UCL is a very different place than it was in the 19th century, any suggestion that we celebrate these ideas or the figures behind them creates an unwelcoming environment for many in our community.

Imperial College London's old logo, compared to the new version
Imperial College London

“I am also clear that this decision is just one step in a journey and we need to go much further by listening to our community and taking practical and targeted steps to address racism and inequality.”

The decision was made by Prof Arthur and ratified by the university’s council following a recommendation from its buildings naming and renaming committee.

The committee, made up of staff, students, and equality, diversity and inclusion representatives, will also oversee any future renaming of the areas, UCL said.

Imperial College London has ditched the Latin motto it has used for 112 years after students complained about its vow to “safeguard the empire”, while Bristol University has launched a review of its logo and its flagship Wills Memorial Building amid fears they immortalise the British Empire.

Liverpool University prompted criticism last week for agreeing to abandon William Gladstone, the four-time British Prime Minister, as the name for a halls of residence after students complained about his father’s links to slave-holding.