Lobby 10 to be renamed ‘Memorial Lobby’
Lobby 10 to be renamed ‘Memorial Lobby’
On Nov. 18, Lobby 10 will be officially renamed “Memorial Lobby.”
The lobby currently bears on its walls the names of MIT alumni who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. These engravings were restored last year to be made easier to read.
According to the MIT News Office, students, faculty, and organizations around campus have urged for the name change for at least two years. Efforts were led by the ROTC Oversight Committee and the MIT Military Alumni Association.
Last spring, Eric Victor, a graduate student in chemistry, wrote to The Tech, in support of renaming Lobby 10. He argued that MIT should follow in the footsteps of peer institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, which have memorials dedicated to their respective military alumni named “Memorial Hall” or “Memorial Rotunda.”
After former dean of undergraduate education Daniel E. Hastings PhD ’80 approved the ROTC Oversight Committee’s proposal, final approval came from MIT president L. Rafael Reif and the Executive Committee of the MIT Corporation. “I think the renaming honors the sacrifices that our MIT graduates have made to the country, and MIT can be proud of all that they and MIT have done to serve the country,” Hastings said to the MIT News Office.
Lobby 10, located underneath the Great Dome and on the Infinite Corridor, often serves a place for clubs to advertise their upcoming events. According to Campus Activities Complex & Student Activities Office, nothing may be hung from the ceiling or placed on the walls to respect its role as a war memorial.
—Anthony Yu