Swarthmore Removes Spencer Trotter's Name After 1899 Lenape Grave Excavation

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 12

Swarthmore College has stripped Spencer Trotter’s name from Trotter Hall and the adjacent lawn, temporarily relabeling the building Old Science Hall while it chooses a permanent replacement.
An internal review found the longtime biology professor excavated a Lenape burial site in 1899, removed human remains for campus display and promoted racial hierarchy theories; the college says it still cannot determine what happened to the remains.
The renaming push followed a 2022 report and a more than two-year investigation, with a faculty-led task force surveying the campus and preparing a final recommendation for board approval later this year.
Some alumni have called the move revisionist, but supporters and task force members say changing the name acknowledges harm without erasing history.
The case has widened into a broader review of Swarthmore’s collections and human-remains policies, including new standards for acquisition and repatriation.

Beyond a name change, how can a university atone for stolen Indigenous artifacts that are now lost forever?

As colleges erase controversial names, is this a blueprint for confronting history or simply hiding from it?