BLOOMINGTON, IN — The Indiana University Student Government (“IUSG”) applauded IU President Michael McRobbie’s formal recommendation Thursday that Indiana University rename all landmarks bearing the name of its former president David Starr Jordan.

“IUSG applauds President McRobbie and the Jordan Committee’s willingness and approval to rename all landmarks that bear former president Jordan’s name. We hope the university will rename these spaces in honor of the late Thomas Atkins and other minority alumni and faculty,” said Rachel Aranyi, a junior and the Indiana University Student Body President. “None of this would have been possible without the voices and leadership of student activists who have driven this movement for years on our campus.”

Thomas Irving Atkins (1939–2008) was Indiana University’s first Black student body president as well as the first Black student body president in the Big Ten. Atkins would go on to attend Harvard Law School, be elected to the Boston City Council, and serve as general counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“IUSG recognizes the need for change on campus, and the rededication of these landmarks to represent champions of equality is a step toward improving the overall culture of inclusion at Indiana University,” said Ruhan Syed, a junior and the Indiana University Student Body Vice President.

The Indiana University Student Government (“IUSG”) is the university-wide student government at Indiana University-Bloomington and is committed to protecting student rights, enriching student life, and improving Indiana University.

For more information, visit: iustudentgovernment.indiana.edu

For press inquiries, contact: iusgexec@indiana.edu or (812) 205–1226

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