Catt Hall review committee prepares a draft for fall comment

By Brian Meyer, strategic relations and communications
May 11, 2023

The committee considering requests to remove Carrie Chapman Catt's name from Catt Hall will release its draft report for public comment in the fall semester. The draft will include the committee's initial recommendation on whether the building's name should stay or be removed.

The committee will determine the length of the public comment period, which, according to policy procedures, may run as long as 60 days. While anyone can comment on the draft report, university policy specifically requires the committee to seek feedback on the draft from those who submitted Catt Hall naming requests and from stakeholders and university units that will be affected by the committee's decision.

The draft report will be available to the public on a university website with instructions on how to submit comments electronically.

"Our committee is well prepared for the deliberations that remain prior to the fall semester, which include how we assess a renaming decision's impact on the university, a key principle outlined in the university's policy," said Carol Faber, chair of the Standing Committee for the Consideration of Removing Names from University Property and associate professor of graphic design.

After reviewing all feedback from the public comment period, the standing committee will finalize its report. It will take a final vote on a recommendation to keep or remove the Catt Hall name and deliver the final report to the president's office.

ISU's policy requires a two-thirds vote of the committee to recommend removal of a building name.

The standing committee was appointed by President Wendy Wintersteen in 2021 and has since been engaged in meetings, interviews and reviewing hundreds of well-sourced historical materials, most of which were supplied by History Associates, Inc. a Maryland-based firm.

 

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