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This article was created through the Monuments and Memory, Fall 2024 course taught by Jordan Brasher, Macalester College Geography Department.

Abstract

This critical audit examines the commemorative landscape at Macalester College, focusing on how its commemorative landscape features – with a special focus on campus building names – (do not) reflect the institution’s stated values and commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and global citizenship. Rather than a traditional audit which is focused on examining financial records and transactions to ensure accuracy, compliance, and accountability for financial management purposes, this critical audit evaluates Macalester’s compliance with its institutional mission and vision through its commemorative landscape. Starting from the position that commemorative place naming always involves selective decisions about whose legacy and contributions to the college are deemed important and that they communicate a specific message about who is (and is not) valued on campus, it accounts for the commemorative landscape’s impact on the emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging of marginalized faculty, staff, students, and alumni. As part of the audit, we developed a dataset of commemorative landscape features, coded them according to relevant categories and characteristics, examined the historical legacies and reputations of commemorated individuals, analyzed the broad patterns amongst commemorated figures, and made specific recommendations for consideration by college administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, the college’s newly formed Naming Committee, Mac-Groveland neighbors, and others with a vested interest in Macalester’s commemorative landscape.

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