AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The University of Texas has appointed a 19-member panel to recommend whether a dormitory named for a former professor who was a Ku Klux Klan member should be renamed.
The advisory group includes faculty members, students, staff members, alumni and civic leaders.
Leslie Blair, a university spokeswoman, tells the Austin American-Statesman that the panel will probably meet four times, with the first meeting Thursday. She says the meetings will be closed to the public.
The panel will make a recommendation to UT President William Powers Jr. at the end of the month.
Simkins Residence Hall, opened in 1955, was named for William Stewart Simkins. He taught at UT's Law School for 30 years until his death in 1929. He was a leader of the Klan in Florida after the Civil War.
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman
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