Protesters Make Themselves Heard In Final Hearing On MTSU’s Forrest Hall

Middle Tennessee State University is poised to make a decision on whether to change the name of its ROTC building on campus. The school has been holding public hearings on Forrest Hall, named after controversial Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest.

At a final hearing in Murfreesboro on Thursday night, one opponent of changing the name argued that Forrest was an advocate for former slaves after the Civil War. 

“You need to address the facts and deal with them,” said 
Greg Tucker of the Rutherford County Historical Society. “If you think that a Civil Rights activist from the 1870s should be condemned because he didn’t do more, then I disagree with you.”

Tucker’s statement was interrupted by protesters at times. 
The same people also applauded 
after pastor David Settles argued that Forrest didn’t do enough good to outweigh the bad.

“As a black man myself with a daughter attending MTSU
in the fall, it concerns me that we have such a strong attraction to hold on to something that is offensive to so many,” Settles said.

After the forum, students marched to the home of MTSU
president Sidney McPhee
, which was being guarded by police. McPhee
 came outside to speak, and he told students that it is the “nature of academia” to listen to differing viewpoints.

The task force taking input is supposed to have a recommendation on the name change of Forrest Hall in the next few weeks.

From time to time, Forrest has become a topic for debate on campus. In 1989, MTSU removed a 600-pound bronze medallion of the Confederate general from the Keathley University Center in response to student complaints.

In 2006, the school held a similar series of public meetings about changing the name of Forrest Hall, but it ended up keeping the name.
According to MTSU, African-American students at the time said the name change was not a priority.

Lauren Frederick contributed to this report.