Swarthmore removes professor’s name from hall after review finds he excavated Native burial

Swarthmore College has removed Spencer Trotter’s name from a campus building after a review found he excavated a Lenape burial site and promoted racial hierarchies, the student newspaper The Phoenix reported. The building formerly known as Trotter Hall has been temporarily labeled “Old Science Hall,” The Phoenix reported.

The college’s review, detailed in a campus communication from President Val Smith and reported by The Phoenix, said Trotter excavated a Lenape burial site in 1899, removed human remains and displayed them on campus. The college said those actions were unethical and that it has been unable to determine what ultimately happened to the remains, The Phoenix reported. In a prior letter to the campus community, Smith apologized and wrote the remains “should never have been removed from their burial site,” calling the actions “inexcusable,” The Phoenix reported.

A faculty-chaired task force that includes students, faculty and staff has spent months reviewing records and surveying the campus community, The Phoenix reported. The task force has narrowed potential replacement names and is to submit a final recommendation to the college president by May 1, 2026, before it is sent to the Board of Managers for approval, The Phoenix reported. The building had carried Trotter’s name since 1937, The Phoenix said.

The decision has drawn mixed reaction. Some alumni and community members criticized the removal as “revisionist,” arguing it risks undermining historical inquiry, The Phoenix reported. Supporters said the change acknowledges harm caused by the excavation and display of Native American remains. History professor and task force member Bob Weinberg told The Phoenix reassessing historical figures is part of academic work: “You don’t want to erase the past, but you want to acknowledge it… and explain why it’s important that we are changing this.” Task force chair Cat Norris told The Phoenix, “It turns out individuals are really complicated,” describing the difficulty of vetting names.

The task force considered proposals to name the building after the Lenape people but rejected them over concerns they could be seen as performative, The Phoenix reported. The college has also launched a broader review of its collections and handling of human remains and is developing new ethical standards for acquisition and repatriation, The Phoenix reported. A final decision on the building’s new name is expected later this year, and Fox News Digital reached out to the school for comment, the original report said.

Source: Original Article