USC Removes Name Of Rufus Von KleinSmid, Longtime President And Eugenics Supporter, From Building
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — USC has removed the name of a former longtime president, Rufus Von KleinSmid, from a prominent campus building because his active support of eugenics and writings on the subject were "at direct odds" with the universities multicultural community and mission of diversity and inclusion, President Carol L. Folt announced Thursday.
The name, as well as a bust of Von KleinSmid, was removed from the Center for International and Public Affairs building after the executive committee of the USC Board of Trustees unanimously approved the measure Wednesday.
Folt said in a letter to the campus community that students, faculty, staff and the Nomenclature Policy Committee have pushed for the change for years.
Von KleinSmid was the fifth president of the university, a role he held for 25 years. And while he expanded research, academic programs and curriculum in international relations, Folt said his support of eugenics clashes with the university's current values.
"This moment is our Call to Action, a call to confront anti-Blackness and systemic racism, and unite as a diverse, equal, and inclusive university," Folt wrote. "You have asked for actions, not rhetoric, and actions, now."
Folt said the university would soon begin an inclusive process to rename the building that will be called The Center for International and Public Affairs in the meantime.
Folt also announced five other actions USC would immediately take to confront anti-Blackness and systemic racism:
- Form a Community Advisory Board for the Department of Public Safety. Folt said the board — recommended in 2015, but never fully implemented — would advise the university on best practices regarding safety, policing, and the engagement of DPS with the community. The board will also look at racial and identity profiling, partnerships with the Los Angeles Police Department, financial resources, officer training, education and disciplinary matters.
- Create a new Taskforce on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Folt said the committee would be tasked with identifying structural and institutional processes that perpetuate racism and inequality and developing new initiatives such as mandatory training programs on implicit bias and sensitivity, courses on racism and community building. Folt said a 2015 committee formed by the provost brought about a number of changes, but failed to implement all recommendations.
- Hire a Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer. Folt said the position has been strongly recommended by the community and she hoped to have the role filled by the fall.
- Expand space and programming for underserved students. Folt said USC would open new student spaces in the fall on two floors of the Student Union to better serve underrepresented students and would launch a new program to provide support and resources for first generation, spring and transfer students as well as undocumented students. She also said plans were underway to create more space and programming to support students who are Black, Asian Pacific American, Latino, Native American, Middle Eastern, LGBTQ+ and veterans, and former foster youths.
- Implement mandatory unconscious bias training. Folt said the university was developing an online program for the fall semester to raise awareness of conscious and unconscious biases.
"These are just the first actions," Folt wrote. "We are committed to the longer journey. There is so much we can do together."