Enough with the name calling already. This will be the fourth straight year in which one of Penn's 11 College Houses will be renamed in honor of a major donor or, in the most recent case, a former University president.
As they get ready to chisel Rodin College House into the stone facade of what they once called Hamilton, the administration needs to think about the side effects of name changes. Aside from the confusion these changes create on campus -- is that Spruce or Riepe? -- this turnover in naming buildings sends a mixed message to students and alumni alike.
If the goal of the College House System is to create loyalty and association with one's house, how is that going to be maintained if Penn continues to change their names?
Long ago, some students lived in a house called Goldberg in the Quadrangle. That became Woodland a few years ago, and now it's called Fisher Hassenfeld. Actually, those changes took place over three years, so there are students still on campus who applied to live in Goldberg as freshmen. Where is the loyalty here?
And the latest change is no different. What some people call Hamilton others call High Rise North. Now, that's Rodin to you.
The gripe here is certainly not with Rodin. She has done a lot for Penn and deserves a fitting tribute. But why now? And why this building?
It would make more sense to christen a new facility -- possibly on the postal lands Rodin worked for years to acquire -- for the former president. That way Rodin would have something shiny and new to be proud of and thousands of Hamilton alumni will still have a connection to their house.
Every time Penn plasters over the names on its buildings a bit of history is covered up. A little respect for tradition would be nice.
