black or white on this issue. I may not entirely agree with the University’s decision, but this threads the needle of historical preservation and architectural integrity quite well. I seriously doubt that ND will be destroying these murals in the foreseeable future.

Why now? Did we just learn about Columbus? What is next? Should we apply this type of standard to everyone? If so, the people who claim to only like or support people who in their eyes are untouchable, need to get ready to accept that standard.

Why now? Maybe they finally had someone suggest a workable alternative to removing them, maybe they just finally got a round to doing something - I seriously doubt that 2019 has anything to do with it. If you think this is a new issue, you’ve not been paying attention.

I simply do not understand this rush to be "woke" and "enlightened" in this day. It's like the politician who for years supported one side of an issue, but has "evolved" and now supports the other side of the issue.

The University has acknowledged the ‘problem’ of the murals for a long time.

The whole movement of being "woke" is destroying everything that does not fit within a narrow point of view. The people who claim to be tolerant and open minded are not tolerant or open minded. Again, why now if they have acknowledged an issue long ago? The article mentions one person who is in favor of this, saying this is a good first step. Well, what is the next step, and what is the last step?

..that is, what would be judged appropriate for a building housing the history department might not be appropriate for a visitor center or under the dome?

I think you're trying to pigeonhole the folks who made this decision into your view of a group of people who may be rather different.

If the murals have been a topic of discussion for years, a decision should have been done long ago. It just smacks of poor leadership.

AND unfairly selective!

..between those notions which the captain was attempting to highlight.

..that they're immoveable. An oil painting could be moved to a less prominent place.

compromise considering the situation. And it’s hardly a knee-jerk, spur of the moment decision - I know well that it’s been debated at the Presidential level for almost 20 years. ND doesn’t act quickly very often.

and they get to keep the baby and the bathwater. They could have just covered them without the fanfare, but they wouldn't get any points that way.

..without an explanation? I think you're trying too hard here.

the administration was being cowardly by quietly concealing the murals in the hope that nobody would notice?

There is that slippery slope matter of what's next. Can book banning/burning be far behind?

I guess in my opinion ND should have left them available for viewing from a purely educational/historical standpoint. After all, ND is a CSC-run university founded on the tenet of education. It's not like they accompanied Spanish conquistadors on their trek across the Americas on missions of terror or anything.

They aren't destroyed (so we are a long way from burning books).

Moreover, the University has pledged that they will be available for viewing and study in a different location on campus.

This is about as far from destroying and trying to remove them entirely as we can get, while still not displaying them in the entrance to the Main Building.

Who is harmed by covering up the murals?

Something like, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

There are a lot of MAGA hats running around out there, after all.

mostly in grade school?

The murals aren't being destroyed or removed.

...and study in a different context. Or did I read incorrectly?

This one has always been interesting to me.


I'll be honest, I stopped noticing the murals long ago. They just blend into the background for me.

That's not to diminish those who view them as 1) offensive or 2) historically important.

It's just sort of like the Mona Lisa for me. You see them, and it's sort of like, that's what's causing all the fuss (and I know they are much larger than the Mona Lisa, but I just don't see why this has become a huge deal to so many within the ND community). There are so many other points of interest within the building that draw my eye and attention. That said, I think they threaded the needle very well on this one.

I never put much thought into the murals since they were pointed out to me on my first visit to ND, to be honest.

That's probably natural for a suburban white kid who was taught the Columbus story that left out all of the less savory details.

It's not hard for me to imagine a different perspective for someone with Native American ancestry, though, in light of what I have learned since. I empathize (I am a bleeding-heart liberal after all).

I think ND did a good job here.

Why it's offensive.

And I think it's just because I didn't focus on it, but it was never the focal point of my eyes when going in that entrance.

I always found the mosaic on the floor more visually interesting, and then once you get to the rotunda, there is a ton of stuff to look at.

That's why I think this really is the best outcome.

Now, if they paint over or permanently remove the murals, that won't go over well (although it may be necessary, because I have no doubts the admin building will once again need work down the road). But I'll worry about that when it happens.