The Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon voted unanimously to dename Dunn Hall, following the recommendation of President Michael H. Schill.

A student group, the Black Student Task Force, identified the residence hall name as offensive because it honored Frederic Dunn, a deceased faculty member who was an exalted cyclops in the Ku Klux Klan.

"Frederic Dunn was the head of an organization that supported racism and violence against African-Americans, Catholics and Jews,” Schill said. “Our students arrive in a few weeks, and no student, particularly no student of color, should have to move into a residence hall named for a man affiliated with one of the most despicable organizations in American history.”

The building will be temporarily named Cedar Hall until a permanent name is selected through a process with broad input.

“The next step is to work with the campus community to rename the residence hall for a person whose life exemplifies the characteristics of racial diversity and inclusion that Dunn despised,” Schill said. “I want to thank the members of the Black Student Task Force for raising this issue and our board of trustees for voting to dename. This was unquestionably the right thing to do for the University of Oregon." 

The president's remarks to the board are available on his website.