U-M Panel Recommends Taking Yost's Name Off Building
LINK.
"A panel has recommended the university remove Yost's name and is asking members of the school campus community for feedback on the proposal. The President’s Advisory Committee on University History is accepting input on the plan until June 7."
If they decide to do so, just rename it after Red Berenson.
H/T to someone I forget who on twitter for this extremely sensible idea.
Yeah, I can get behind this. It's not like Yost had anything to do with hockey anyway. Red rebuilt the program and deserves his name on the building, regardless of how you feel about Yost.
FYI, that building was used for track and field through 1973 and basketball until Crisler was constructed.
Exactly--the Yost name has historical significance to Michigan, but not to the hockey program. Red Berenson is the father of modern Michigan hockey. 33 season, 11 conference titles. 8 Frozen Fours, 2 National Titles.
The man is a legend, and as I said, renaming Yost Arena after him would be a good idea even if there were no issues with Yost.
He turned Yost into the best place to watch a game on campus. I was in school for the turnaround from 1990-94. It was an amazing thing to watch. They went from the bottom of the CCHA to finishing top 2 for FIFTEEN STRAIGHT YEARS from 1990-2005
Red is 81. Let's do it while he's still here to see it.
In 20 years we'll start digging into every facet of Red's life. We'll find out he speared somebody from behind in a game in St. Louis in 1967. And then his name comes off the building.
Yost is the guy who invented the concept of the fieldhouse. Does that count for anything? Is there any wonder about why this building was named in his honor rather than any other building, such as the stadium which he also personally supervised? My father was there.
I hate racism and there is no excuse for it. While it's not unimportant in this situation, it seems possible that Coach Yost's many contributions far exceeded the effect of this small part of his personality. Since he can't defend himself, let's move on to his football legacy found in the 2021 team.
The truth doesn't matter anymore. Turns out the Children of Yost are all chumps, etc.
A "small part of his personality" that had a major impact on Willis Ward's life and sent a hateful message to the black community both on campus and across the country. A "small part of his personality" that was supported by university administrators and allowed to be attached to the mantle of the university.
There is no question Yost did many things to contribute to UofM; but don't trivialize his actions as just some quirk. They had a major impact on many people and brought great shame to this university. Instead of giving him a place of unquestioned honor (i.e. having a building named after him), talk about his contributions in a museum where they can be put in context with his other actions.
I think the better lesson is to stop naming buildings after people, especially those that lived their lives in totally different eras. If we just go with "Michigan Ice Arena" we can avoid ever having to deal with this again.
I find the word "Ice" to be vey upsetting and I'm triggered. I think Michigan Cold Arena or maybe Michigan Slippery Arena probably is less offensive.
Yost: House of Blood and Spit
Michigan Stadium: House of eternal sadness
Crisler: House of the Rising Hope
The Michigan Giant Sheet of Frozen Water Building for Skating Stick Sport.
Thank you, Borat.
The Ice House.....
chilly younger sibling of The Big House
Chilly older sibling that is.
Yost was opened as a Field House in '23. The Big House in '27.
If Yost is renamed The Ice House”, could we rename Crisler “The Bounce House”?
I would rather see it (or another athletic building) named after Yost than a generic corporate sponsor or individual donor though.
Oh come on. Who wouldn't want to go see them play at Yeti (TM) Ice inside Igloo(TM) arena?
This. People will fail. I'm sure there's some great people out there are deserving and won't disappoint. But we've gotta stop putting individuals on a pedestal because there are plenty that aren't honorable and get the honors anyways.
I don't disagree that people fail. But isn't it a bit sad to admit that we can never name anything after anybody because eventually we will find some aspect of their life a little bit objectionable?
We know Red Berenson isn't perfect. He had that DUI/public urination incident back in 1994. But honoring his 30+ years as the best hockey coach in Michigan history by naming the building after him seems like a good idea to me.
I don't think we're going to forget all he did because a building isn't named after him. I remember Tom Harmon accomplishment's and he doesn't have a building named after him.
Red got paid well while he was here, got to retire when he wanted to and anytime he wants access to a building on campus, I bet he gets it. We have placques honoring accomplishments of players and coaches all around Yost. He wont' be forgotten and isn't lacking honor from the program and fans.
It's not important to me what they call buildings - many schools and professional teams have made a mockery of that anyway by selling naming rights, often on a seemingly weekly basis.
But I hope those who feel strongly about this today understand that 50 years from now, the people we consider heroes today will be in a similar place. Joseph McCarthy and his friends probably thought they were the most forward-thinking, righteous individuals in the world when they went on their crusade. Spoiler alert: they weren't.
Are you implying that the people that think maybe we shouldn't have someone's name on a building who was racist are the same as McCarthyites? Isn't that a little hyperbolic, to say the least?
A better comparison might be between the McCarthyites and the people who are far beyond "maybe" in their assessments.
Personally, I feel rather strongly about Henry Ford. I will not go to Lions games or consider purchasing a Ford because of his legacy. I'd be in that "maybe" camp if demands were made to rename the company and the stadium. But not on the side of those insisting on change. Is it time to run out of points now?
@KilgoreTrout, given the current times, the name "Michigan" will probably end up offending people because it appropriates a Native American word. Can't do that, so we better play it safe and follow the stricture of naming things after either animals or events of nature: "Wolverines Ice Arena"
Now we may still offend groups like the Buckeyes / Golden Domers because they may feel threatened and unwelcome because it is their rival's name. We certainly wouldn't want that, so maybe the "Friendly and Inviting Ice Arena."
Sadly, extreme introverts may be offended with THAT name because it was "Inviting" yet they didn't feel comfortable going because of the large crowds and were left saddened and left out. So maybe: "Ice Arena."
Unfortunately, even that doesn't work because those that don't like the cold would be potentially offended because the word "Ice" connotes well ... cold. So I think we would be left with "The Arena."
/s
AKA "The Ice House"?
Might as well get ahead of the curve and rename Crisler (he was no saint) while we're at it.
Cazzie's Castle would be fine by me, of just call it "The Castle"?
We should just rename it "Building." Opposing teams will come to town, ask where the Building is, get impossibly lost, and have to forfeit every game.
No kidding. I dont think i would want my name on something these days just to spare my relatives a witchhunt in the future, after i have pasaed on, when someone wants to make a name for themselves within the eternally unhappy unstable crowd by creating whatever narrative they wish absent the only expert on the matter...me.
Dude, get over yourself. No one will name a building after you to throw a childish fit over.
point of fact i am already tied to a building and oddly enough an adena indian mound as well....decisions my distant relatives may someday live to regret...one never knows
I used to joke that maybe one day I would have a plaque with my name attached to a urinal in a basement somewhere to honor my contributions.
I guess it's time to let even that dream go...
"Michigan Ice Arena" seems pablum enough.
Unless someone objects to the fact Michigan is derived from the Native American word "Michigama", thus it's emblematic of cultural appropriation combined with disrespectful bastardization of their language.
I propose "Building 37". Whilst keeping my fingers crossed (with apologies to either the Christian tradition or the pre-Christian pagan tradition from whence it comes, depending on who you believe) that no one objects on the basis of cultural appropriation of the Hindu-Arabic number system.
We'll spend the money on that and as soon as it's done, someone turns up something from Red's 1915 high school yearbook. No thanks. I'll take Wolverine Ice Arena or something and leave it at that.
EDIT: Kilgore beat me to it.
Or, and here's an idea, don't name it after anyone.
It spent just as many years as the track and field building and a certain Willis Ward was a 3-time all-American track and field start in it. Name it after Willis Ward.
What was Willis Ward's view on homosexuality?
It’s already Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena, so changing the name to strictly honor Red wouldnt be too crazy
The only thing surprising to me is that it took this long for the University to start moving in this direction.
I'm gonna assume the rink will be renamed Berenson Ice Arena.
I'm not necessarily against renaming it that, but haven't we learned our lesson yet naming buildings after people? Have we done our due diligence on this? Are there any skeletons on Red's closet that would force us to remove his name years later? Or even harder to tell, is there anything Red did that is OK by today's standards but will be completely unacceptable in the future?
Maybe, but why does that matter? Let's cross that bridge if we need to in the future.
There's nothing saying that these decisions are irreversible.
Or how about we save ourselves the trouble and stop naming buildings all together?
Because rich old dudes have nothing else to live for, obviously
From the Michigan Daily, 3-21-1994:
I always found it odd that DUI was a lesser charge than urinating in public. My kid would have been public enemy number one for the amount of times he pissed in public between 2 and 10 years old.
So, is the rule now that we only celebrate people who are perfect and never make a mistake?
That's gonna be a pretty small list. I'm pretty sure I'm off that list just based on my browser history.
How about the Mother Teresa Ice Arena? She’s been pretty extensively vetted.
"Do you teach the poor to endure their lot? I think it is very beautiful for the poor to accept their lot, to share it with the passion of Christ. I think the world is being much helped by the suffering of the poor people."
--Mother Teresa
Sounds like she would not have taken her starting tailback to Georgia Tech either.