What is the scuttlebutt on campus about changes that are likely to come down the pipe (since R.E. Lee is considered evil now)?
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Not a student, but changes are pretty unlikely to come. Theyâve already started putting less focus on Lee Chapel during campus tours and also are emphasizing that they celebrate âLee the educator, not Lee the generalâ. As far as change goes, thatâs likely the biggest thatâs to come.
There are enough alumni, many of which are big donors, that would not appreciate any drastic changes being made. I say this from an apolitical viewpoint; W&L stands to lose a lot of support and money if they make any major changes to how they portray history on campus. For that reason, I wouldnât expect to see anything else happening in the near future.
I donât know. The Confederate uniform is now a big white supremacist no-no according to much of the country. Easy enough to take down the portrait of Lee in uniform from the Chapel. But then youâve got the recumbent statueâŠ
It wouldnât surprise me if the administration wanted to âlead the wayâ in terms of social justice, even if the majority of the alumni disagreed.
It could be a years-long process of gradual changes. After all, three years ago people thought everything was fine after the flags were removed from Lee Chapel.
My guess is that changes are very unlikely to come. Lee was responsible for the business school, the law school and their honor code, all current areas of pride at W&L. They can embrace what he did for the university as president. Their academic ârankingsâ and reputation have not suffered at all over the past few years - maybe theyâve gotten better - so thereâs no need to make any drastic changes.
Lee was not responsible for the business school, although he did begin the school of journalism and annexed the law school. I do think the school is considering how to deal with its past.
He wasnât even there for very long!
Hopefully, applications will go down so it will be easier for my kids to get in.
Same with UVA. 
In 2014 W&L did apologize for a history that included owning slaves. Theyâve dealt with it head on. TIme for everyone to applaud W&L for his and move on.
They have plans to call it ampersand U.
It is not just Lee that is a problem. Washington was a slave owner.
From the Presidentâs latest statement, itâs pretty clear that they are going to wall off the back part of Lee Chapel, so that the statue of Lee is not visible from the main part of the chapel. So to view the statue youâd have to climb the stairs from the lower level.
Also pretty much certain they will remove the portrait of Lee in uniform.
He said specifically that they would not choose the option to physically separate the chapel from the crypt addition and would âmake no physical changes to the buildingâ.
Agreed on the portrait in uniform. Theyâd chisel his uni off the Valentine if they could.
@OCDaddy, what statement are you referring to? In his written statement he says this:
âThe future we face calls us to recapture Leeâs initial vision for the chapel. Lee Chapel can yet again be, as it originally was, a graceful, unadorned place of assembly that is welcoming to all members of our community. The addition that houses the recumbent statue and Lee family crypt can remain intact and open to the public, but functionally separate from the chapelâs assembly hall.â
âUnadornedâ may mean the removal of all portraits, as well as the Liberty Hall Volunteers memorial plaque. The plaque will likely go because they donât want students âforcedâ to look at anything at all to do with the Confederacy.
I stand corrected. (I knew this skimming habit would become a problem.) I should have said the commission recommended making no physical changes. He seems inclined to disagree, as you correctly pointed out, though functionally separate could mean a lot of things and it may be harder to convince whatever conversation commission oversees historical sites that itâs time to start bricking up the back. Memorial plaque is definitely toast, though its relocation is more easily accomplished and with less hand-wringing. I frankly think it announces the chapel as a lost cause shrine. Itâs hard to not see as you enter.
*conservation Oh I give up.
I guess they could go with a semi-permanent screen/partition of some kind rather than a full-on brick wall.
When I was there for the honor system orientation a couple nights ago, it looked like there was a curtain placed in front of the statue of Lee. That wasnât there during the Presidentâs welcome on the first day of orientation, however, so Iâm not sure if theyâre planning to make that permanent or not.