No requests made to change name of new admissions building

No requests have gone through the University of Richmond Advancement Office to have the name of the future admissions building changed from Queally Center for Admissions and Career Services, according to Thomas Gutenberger, vice president of advancement.

Gutenberger, Richmond College '87, said he was not sure what office would be responsible for receiving such requests, but the Advancement Office would have likely heard of the matter.

The new admissions building was designated the Queally Center for Admissions and Career Services following a $10 million donation from Paul and Anne-Marie Queally, both 1986 graduates of the university. In February, The Collegian reported on Paul Queally's remarks, which were considered "sexist" and "homophobic," that were published in Kevin Roose's book titled "Young Money."

(Facebook caption stirs controversy of Paul Queally's remarks)

Though no formal requests to have the building's name reconsidered have been received, Glyn Hughes, the director of Common Ground, said he believed it was worth considering in general how the names of buildings could matter. For example, Hughes said he knew there had been visitors to the university who had chosen not to enter Modlin Center for the Arts based on George M. Modlin's views regarding the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Some students are still affected by the recent news involving Queally, and having his name on a welcome center for the university is not exactly welcoming for those students, Hughes said. Though the university community is significantly more accepting than it once was, it can still be a difficult place for LGBTQ students, who often face harassment or disrespect from others.

The obstacles that LGBTQ students face already occurred before the news of Queally's remarks, Hughes said. A crisis can sometimes reveal ways in which an everyday experience is a crisis for some people, and some people look for an easy target to solve a more complex issue, he said.

(Ann DeSantis, WC 1987, asks Paul Queally to resign)

Peter Kaufman, a professor of leadership studies, said he would have to drive by the new admissions building on his morning commute, and weighed in on the significance of naming the building after Queally.

"It will always remind me of how ... this university's association -- or desire for money -- trumps its values," he said.

One way that a building comes to be named after a particular person is if that donor contributes a lead gift, which is defined by amounting to half of the necessary funding for the project, Gutenberger said.

The construction of the new admissions building is currently set to begin March 2015, with the move-in transition occurring Summer 2016, according to Andrew McBride, associate vice president for facilities and university architect.

Contact reporter Rebecca Wilson at rebecca.wilson@richmond.edu