Construction is all around on UNK’s campus. There’s a new fountain being built and even a new education building being built. The new STEM building, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A new building on campus, also means a name for the building needs to be picked.
A survey was sent out to UNK students about what the name of the STEM building should be. Options like Veritas Hall, Discovery Hall, The Nexus, and The LinK were suggested, but no options for names of people were suggested. All of the names are based around unity and not named after someone of importance.
None of the options given for the new building are poor. The STEM building is supposed to be seen as a great new addition to campus, but it’s hard to see that given the suggestions for new building names.
Most of the building names on campus, if they are named after a person, typically are named after white males. Buildings on UNK campus that are named after white males are Randall Hall, Bruner, Warner Hall, Calvin T. Ryan, and others. The only facility on campus that has a female name is the Ron and Carol Cope Stadium, but it also has a white male’s name in front of the woman’s.
The new STEM building should be named after Katherine Johnson. Naming the new building after someone who was inspirational in those fields might encourage others alike to pursue a career in that area. Johnson was one of the three African American women that helped John Glenn successfully orbit around Earth. She was known as the “human computer” because one of the men in charge of the calculations for the orbital mission didn’t trust electronics. So, after the computer was done runnings tests, they sent it to Johnson to double check the numbers by hand.
Johnson and the two other African American women not only helped advance space travel for Americans, but also helped open doors for other women and people of color. Naming the STEM building the Katherine Johnson building might also encourage more women and POC to go into STEM.
The new STEM building should be named after someone of importance and someone who has made history in a department like STEM. UNK’s new STEM building should be named after Katherine Johnson, on of the mathematicians that helped the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth.
Alana's Blog 
I really hope this final version gets published in the Antelope and I really hope a certain someone, who works for the communications at UNK sees and actually reads the article. If UNK is willing to become more progressive like UNO and UNL this is the first step to that. Naming the newest addition to UNKs campus after a smart, groundbreaking African American woman, who spent her life making ours better. Great job Alana!
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