Dear Editor,
This letter is regarding The Phillipian Vol. CXLVIII, No. 19, specifically the article “Morse Hall Needs A New Name,” by Jeannie Kang, published September 26, 2025.
Kang argues for Morse Hall, the building for Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science, to undergo a name change due to Samuel Morse’s bigoted actions, most notably that he “actively vilified immigrants and sponsored the institution of slavery.” This letter stands not to deny these actions or their gravitas; they are truly indefensible. Rather, I write to assert that the renaming of Morse Hall, while symbolically satisfying, is an undefended, uncorrelated, and irrelevant response to the ongoing inequities that the Anti-Racism Task Force (AATF) was created to address. The article mistakes symbolic gesture for substantive action, failing to show how erasing Morse’s name from a building translates to any real benefit for marginalized students. Simply, it would be an empty gesture that solves nothing.
The article cites Yale and Loomis Chaffee as proof that renaming is worthwhile, but neither actually has evidence of improving the lives of marginalized students. It just shows how other institutions also made this symbolic, yet ultimately fruitless gesture, which is circular reasoning. Kang provides no evidence establishing the logical process going from “discrimination” to “renaming Morse Hall.” Additionally, removing the names from these buildings set a precedent of erasing the legacy of slavery, rather than confronting and learning from it. It is quite powerful that Morse Hall is now filled with faculty and students from all over the world; it truly shows how far Andover has come. We must acknowledge our grim past rather than hide it. Renaming does not erase Morse’s ideology from history; it only erases Andover’s obligation to confront it.
As Kang states, Andover established the AATF in 2020 to address the “implicit discrimination of racially marginalized students on campus.” These tangible injustices are present throughout our campus and are being addressed by this task force. The article provides no explanation why renaming a math building should be prioritized over addressing those tangible, present harms. Kang does a thorough job of establishing Morse’s reprehensible views, yet she fails to prove how changing the name of the building actually addresses this campus’s history of discrimination. If Andover truly wants to “stand firm for its missions and beliefs,” it should address the real issues rather than make a token gesture. Andover must reform internally, not “look good” externally by changing a name.
Notably, the article does not highlight any Andover faculty, student, or alum who feels harmed or unwelcome in Morse Hall, whereas, on the contrary, Morse Hall has hosted one of the most welcoming Andover communities: the Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) office. It is a space of connection where people confront and learn from the inequities in our community. The most powerful rebuke to a bigot is not erasing his name, but filling the halls that bear it with everything he stood against. And on that count, Morse Hall already succeeds.
Signed,
Konnor Fortini ’28
