Ever since it came into existence, Nassau Community College has been called, well, Nassau Community College. That could all change if a determined group of students have their way. The Calvin Coolidge Society, a collection of ‘Silent Cal’ devotees, would like to change the name of the school to Nassau Community Coolidge.
The group argues that Coolidge, our thirtieth president, does not receive anywhere near the amount of respect he deserves. They believe that changing the name of the school would hurt no one while showing proper appreciation for the policies of Coolidge.
So far, the group has met little resistance. The Vignette surveyed 16,394 Nassau Community College students and found that ninety-seven percent of them did not care one way or the other. Furthermore, of that ninety-seven percent, ninety-nine percent did not know who Calvin Coolidge is. Seventy-seven percent of that ninety-nine percent thought the question was about Calvin Klein.
The three percent that did take a stand on the issue are divided. One percent favors the change, while the other two percent do not. Of the one percent that does favor the change, ninety percent are card carrying members of the Calvin Coolidge Society.
The bill that would effectively change the name of the school will come before the Academic Senate within the next month. It is expected to pass by a large margin, if not unanimously. Student President David Swift went on record saying, “I would rather rename it: David Swift Presents Nassau Community College, but I wholeheartedly support the Coolidge Initiative.”
In the meantime, the Calvin Coolidge Society is going to plaster campus with Calvin Coolidge related flyers and posters in an effort to build more student support. They will also be, as one supporter put it, “Keeping our fingers crossed.”