'U' Student Body Pres. Supports Changing Coffman Union Name

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The president of the University of Minnesota's student body said she supports changing the name of the Coffman Memorial Union, as reported in the school newspaper.

This announcement was made on Facebook, and comes in the wake of an exhibit that was placed on display in the Anderson Library.

The exhibit, called "A Campus Divided," showed a history on the U campus of housing segregation of black and Jewish students less than 100 years ago, the Minnesota Daily reports.

According to the article, the segregation was carried out by administrators, among who was Lotus D. Coffman, the university's former president and the person for whom the Coffman Memorial Union is named after.

"When something is this important, it is vital we push for change on every level available to us. Thank you to the folks who are doing work on the ground level," she wrote. "I ask you all to join me in becoming more informed and acknowledging the blatant irony of housing the cultural student groups in a building named after the man who did everything in his power to keep the University segregated."

The Minnesota Daily reports that the Minnesota Student Association hasn't released an official stance on the issue.

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