STILLWATER Okla.
If Oklahoma State University prides itself on becoming one of the most diverse universities in the United States, surely it wouldn’t have a building named after one of the state’s most well known racists, right?
That is a topic buzzing around campus. Should OSU take the name of William H. Murray, a former governor who wrote large portions of the Oklahoma Constitution and a bigot off the building?
A forum was held last month during which Randi Eldevik, an associate English professor, and Bill Bryans, an associate professor of history, debated the topic.
“He was really head and shoulders above the other racists and bigots. He was not just your average racist,” Eldevik said. “He was just the worst of the worst.”
Bryans said he does not debate that Murray was a racist, but rather than jumping to conclusions and focusing on his negative aspects, suggests instead that some research should be done.
“I’m defending history as much as I’m defending Murray,” Bryans said. “He wasn’t the only racist person in Oklahoma at that time.”
