GREENVILLE, N.C. -- By a unanimous vote, the ECU Board of Trustees has approved a name change for Aycock Residence Hall. One hundred faculty members and students stood and cheered the 14-member board as the meeting let out.
"We will transition the name of Charles B. Aycock from where it sits now on our residence hall to provide his recognition and describe his role in our founding into that Heritage Hall,” said ECU Board of Trustees Chair Robert Brinkley.
The plans for Heritage Hall are still in development, but the boards say the building will provide students a learning and teaching area about the university's history.
Charles Aycock was the former governor of North Carolina who served from 1901 to 1905. He is known as being a white supremacist and supporting segregation while in office.
The ECU chancellor received a formal request to change the name of the building last year and a committee was formed in November. However, the issue had been tabled several times.
Senior Tyler Morrison says he's be a part of the entire process, which included public forums, lectures and programs from September to now.
"It's definitely a sense of high achievement especially coming from students, and it definitely affirms our faith that we have in our institution and our board of trustees and various administrators on campus that our student voice, opinions and culture really do matter,” said Morrison.
"It's so much bigger than a name, so much bigger than Aycock's name. It's a momentum, a growth in unity and humanity,” said senior Tyree Barnes.
And as it stands right now, there's no timeframe for when the residence hall sign will be coming down or renamed.