On Monday, Cabrillo Board of Trustees will vote whether to delay renaming Cabrillo College until 2028. In a report published Thursday afternoon, the board’s Name Exploration Subcommittee suggests deferring changing the college’s name until 2028, in favor of addressing the need for greater inclusion of Native American studies, students, and faculty.
“We recommend postponing further investigation and discussion on renaming the college until at least 2028 and potentially longer,” the report states.
The report acknowledges the conflicting opinions over the name-change, which have proved to be divisive, and recommends a plan that “reduces the divisions…and helps unify the community.”
The report suggests expanding the focus beyond the institution’s name-change to include the other needs presented in the original faculty petition that began the name-change process in 2020, with “emphasis on social justice, anti-racism principles, and improvement…beyond the mere changing of a name.”
Other suggestions included in the subcommittee’s report include:
- making the college’s disassociation from Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo more explicit
- developing an annual Native American Studies lecture series research symposium
- establishing a faculty position in Indigenous and Native American Studies
- establishing endowed scholarships for students majoring in Indigenous and Native American Studies
- exploration of the creation of a Multi-Cultural Center for the college, which would include Indigenous and Native American Studies
- including Indigenous and tribal leaders in consultation on recommended actions
- Repatriation of any Indigenous archaeological artifacts in the College’s possession
A previous board meeting on Aug. 7 ended with the Cabrillo name-change being delayed until the subcommittee could make a revised recommendation. Factors including the effects of the COVID lockdown, recent floods and fires, and inadequate funding for scientific polling led to a consensus that the process had failed to unite the community around an acceptable decision.
The seven possible names that had been selected by an appointed committee failed to attract enough support from the community and fears that a name-change could jeopardize future college funding doomed the original plan.
IF YOU GO:
Cabrillo College Board of Trustees meeting
at Sesnon House, Cabrillo College Aptos campus
Monday, September 11, 5:30 p.m.
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