By Emily Losito Associate Editor & Tom Cottingham Features Editor
Bonaventure alumnus Carl Paladino, member of Buffalo public schools board of education, made controversial comments regarding President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in December.
Since the comments were made in an article on Artvoice, students and faculty signed and submitted an electronic petition to the university president and cabinet to remove Paladino’s name from an on-campus townhouse sign.
Josiah Lambert, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was shocked by the statements.
“Paladino’s comments were completely uncalled for. How anyone could be so disrespectful of our president just appalled me,” Lambert said.
According to a letter from Dr. Andrew Roth, university president, wrote to the campus, the cabinet researched the dedication of the townhouse. Roth said the townhouse is dedicated to Belesario and Sara Paladino, Carl’s parents.
Roth said in his letter, “University administrators… recommended to the board of trustees that we clarify the name of the house by changing the sign to read ‘Belasario & Sara Paladino House.’”
“I’m thankful that the university was able to recognize how pressing this issue was to the student body, alumni and families, as well as community members,” said sophomore sociology major Jasmine Clasing. “It was empowering to see the defense for the basis of what St. Bonaventure University is founded on.”
Lambert said he supported the president’s decision of adding Paladino’s parents’ names to the townhouse sign.
The correction has already been added online, according to Dennis Frank, university archivist.
This hasn’t been the only name change that has happened at St. Bonaventure, Frank said.
In 2006, the glass enclosure for the rare books at the Friedsam Memorial Library also went under a name change prior to completion, according to the university archives.
The Bogoni family had some disagreements with the university and withdrew their support. In 2012, the completed addition was named the Holy Name Library for the Franciscan Institute.
De La Roche Hall used to be named the College Building, but after burning down it was renamed Lynch Hall. It suffered through another fire in 1933, and it was resurrected and took its current name, according to the archives.
The Reilly Center originally held the name University Center until 1974 when it was dedicated to the memory of Carroll “Mike” Reilly, according to the university’s athletics webpage.
A donor plaque hangs in the William F. Walsh Science Center outside of the amphitheater. Etched into the leadership donor plaque are the names Mr. and Mrs. Carl Paladino ’68.
“Mr. Paladino was a significant donor to the Walsh Center project, one of many, and is entitled to be listed,” said Roth.
To change both sides of the townhouse sign, it would cost approximately $120, according to Thomas Missel, director of media relations and marketing.
The change to the east side townhouse sign will be discussed further in February.
Students had a very active reaction online.
Caitlyn Morral, a junior strategic communications major, began the online petition to remove the name Paladino from her current townhouse apartment that she and many others live in.
“I decided to make it because I saw a lot of my friends on Twitter and Facebook talking about it so I decided to make the petition to spread the awareness,” said Morral. “Since I live in the Paladino townhouse, I felt obligated to do so even more.”
The petition reached over 1,000 signatures in just a week or so, which lead the school’s new president, Andrew P. Roth, Ph.D., to release a statement.
“Please know that I and the Cabinet have received both the student-driven petition with more than 1,000 signatures and a petition submitted by dozens of faculty members asking university officials to consider changing the name of Paladino House,” said Roth. “We truly appreciate the thoughtful nature of your social action.”
The house was originally named after Mr. Paladino’s parents. The Board of Trustees suggests changing the sign to read “Belesario & Sara Paladino House” to make it clearer that the house is not named after Carl, but the board will discuss the issue in more depth when they convene in February.
As the first Franciscan school in the country, many students believe that the remarks Paladino made do not correlate with the values that are taught here at St. Bonaventure.
“I believe that the building should be renamed because his comments do not reflect the Franciscan values that are instilled in the university,” said Morral. “I think that the name should be changed to someone who does reflect those values.”
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