Sixth College may soon receive a name change, losing its numerical designation to honor former UCSD Chancellor and UC President Richard C. Atkinson if the new name is approved by Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and the UC Board of Regents.
Atkinson remains the primary candidate in naming Sixth College because he “has made fundamental contributions and serves as a model for the kind of continuing education ideals that the sixth college strives to foster,” the Sixth College Web site stated.
The Sixth College Executive Committee released its preliminary recommendations for the new college name, backing Atkinson. The committee is currently in the process of consultation and no final recommendation has been made, according to associate history professor and committee chair John Marino.
Marino, a member of the Sixth College faculty, stated in an e-mail that the committee is “extremely excited” about the possibility of naming the college after Atkinson.
“The extraordinary accomplishments of Atkinson here at UCSD and at [the University of California] are in keeping with the goals and ideals of [Sixth] College’s commitment to innovative education, [the] building of community and its interdisciplinary theme in culture, art and technology,” Marino stated.
However, some Sixth College students have criticized the naming process and the proposed selection.
Sixth College sophomore Mooneer Salem stated in an e-mail that he felt that “the process should have been more open.”
“I … feel Sixth should have let the students know from the beginning that a name was actively being sought out and given them some say in the matter,” Salem stated.
Although UCSD and UC policies do not formally include students’ input in the naming process, Sixth College Student Council Chair C. Dillon Martin Hall stated in an e-mail that the administration has been open about the process.
“I’ve found [the administration] to be strongly committed to the well-being of Sixth College and its students, and I haven’t seen anything less in this whole process,” he said.
Sixth College Senior Senator Matt Corrales stated in an e-mail that although he admires Atkinson’s commitment to cross-curricular education and diversity, he still maintains that the committee has overlooked an opportunity to honor an individual who has contributed more to the enhancement of a historically oppressed community.
“As a strong proponent of diversity himself, I think Atkinson would appreciate naming a college after a person of color,” he stated. “In addition, only one other college is named after a woman, which makes it extremely disappointing that Sixth may be named after another man. When students of color and queer students are fighting so hard to improve campus climate, it would be an insult to them to name another college after a straight white man.”
Marino stated that although some students may be upset by the proposal, the committee believes that they will likely change their minds after learning more about Atkinson’s contributions to the University of California, UCSD and the San Diego community.
In 2001, Atkinson led the calls for improvements to standardized college entrance exams by recommending that the University of California abandon its use of the SAT, arguing that the standardized test was unfair to minority groups and an ineffective measure of students’ high school knowledge. Atkinson’s criticism led the College Board, which administers the test, to revamp the format of the exam.
However, Salem stated that he wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer for the right name.
“We shouldn’t rush something that will be a permanent part of our college’s identity,” he said.
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