Serra Hall event fosters debate
A statue of St. Junipero Serra, located outside of Serra Hall./Photo courtesy of Walker Chuppe
Different scholars and members of Native American tribes discuss the future of Serra Hall’s name
Serra Hall, a prominent fixture on the University of San Diego’s campus, was named in honor of St. Junipero Serra and features a statue of his likeness in a small courtyard in the front of the building. Hundreds of Toreros attend classes and work in Serra Hall every day, but some students may not understand the significance behind the building’s name and his lasting effects on California history. In 1769 the Spanish Government began the Alta California Mission system. Backed by the power of the Spanish military, Catholic Priest Junipero Serra began the development of a California Mission system stretching from San Diego to San Francisco.
St. Serra’s contributions to California fundamentally changed its future and laid the foundations for the California that Toreros call home. The benefits this system gave to California were numerous and included a road network, agriculture, infrastructure, and massive economic growth as towns became centered around the missions. However, the negative aspects of this system included the forced labor and captivity and death of many native peoples who lived near the missions. The natives often faced harsh working conditions and mistreatment in this system, and many died from these conditions.
Last semester, the American Indian and Indigenous Student Association (AIISO) started an initiative to change the name of Serra Hall. AIISO requested the name change because St. Serra heavily influenced Spanish Mission system in California, which permanently affected Native American life and culture to this day. Native Americans had their tribal system dismantled upon the arrival of Europeans. In November, AIISO hosted events to draw attention to their cause, beginning with an event outside Serra Hall last year. This event was intended to educate students on the history of St. Serra and provide a more complete picture of his historical actions, particularly toward the Native Americans adversely affected by the California Mission system he established.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall’s Warren Auditorium, debate continued about whether the name of Serra Hall should be changed. A discussion panel titled “Should we re-name Serra Hall?” had six speakers knowledgable on the subject of St. Serra who provided their perspectives and opinions on the issue. Members of the USD community interested in the debate attended the panel. The room had dozens of empty seats and was about half-full.
The panelists were asked, “What is the history of St. Serra?” and, “Should the university rename Serra Hall?” Each panelist was allotted five minutes to offer their perspective and answer the questions. The six panelists were University of California, Riverside Professor Steven W. Hackel, Ph.D., Cal State Long Beach American Indian Studies Professor Theresa Gregor, Ph.D, USD Political Science Professor Mike Williams, Ph.D, Alexii Sigona, USD History Professor Michael Gonzalez, Ph.D., and San Diego State Ethnic Studies Professor Olivia Chilcote, Ph.D.
Teresa Gregor is a former USD professor who now teaches at Cal State Long Beach and is Native American. She was a panelist at the forum.
“I taught in Serra with his mural greeting me every day and I found it ironic as a tribal descendant that I was teaching in a hall with his likeness,” Gregor said. “The presence of his name and likeness in the building erases the presence of my ancestors and my family. I am not just for getting rid of Serra and replacing it. It needs to be balanced, putting things into balance will help to heal and reconcile.“
Alexii Sigona, a former USD student and Native American, was completely in favor of renaming Serra Hall.
“I gained a big interest in the issue after the canonization of Father Serra,” Sigona said. “Over 150,000 Natives died in the California mission system and had less than a two-year life expectancy once beginning work at the missions. I think that the mission systems were an act of genocide. Just by USD having this statue on campus, it says to me that USD backs Father Serra. It is in USD’s best interest to adhere to their mission statement and rename Serra Hall.”
Panelist Steven Hackel offered a different perspective.
“Serra’s name was put on the building because he was one of most influential Californians of the 18th century,” Hackel said. “We live in a society that wants to collapse everything down to a binary. In this case I would encourage you to avoid this. There is no secret, untold history of the California missions and St. Serra. People who don’t agree with Serra being on buildings, this debate is counterproductive. What’s missing is a proper commemoration of California Indians affected by the missions. Removing his name (from Serra Hall) will not accomplish much.”
Panelist members of the discussion talk about the different opinions concerning the change of the name of Serra Hall and St. Serra’s effect on Native Americans in California./Cyrus Lange/The USD Vista
Among the students present at the panel were sophomores Elaine Talley and Diana McGowan. Both students came to the event for extra credit, but were also interested in the information within the event.
“I am here to earn extra credit for my history class,” Talley said. “I was also interested in the conversation because of the controversy behind the name (Serra). If the school is interested in not offending any of the people they admit they should change the name. I don’t think it would be a huge sacrifice to change the name.”
McGowan was an advocate for changing the name, but thought it to be unrealistic.
“I am interested in seeing what Americans did to Native Americans, and interested to see if we can acknowledge past mistakes,” McGowan said. “I think it would be nice if we did change it because it would acknowledge the fact that it was a controversy. But realistically I do not believe that will happen. We will probably always refer to it as Serra Hall.”
One of the topics addressed at this panel was a lack of Native American representation on USD’s campus. However, none of the panelists offered insight on the current Native American representation on campus. This includes the Native American representation already inside Serra Hall. The movement to change the name of Serra Hall was in part begun under the premise that Native Americans had no representation in the building.
However, the David W. May American Indian Gallery lies inside Serra Hall, showcasing Native American art. The gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.USD’s campus also is home to the Kumeyaay Garden which honors the historical land and region of their tribe.
The panelists were able to provide a great variety of perspectives on the issue of renaming Serra Hall. Covering both sides of the issue, the event was informative and helped paint a more complete picture of St. Serra and the California Mission. Both the positive aspects of Serra’s presence, as well as negative were covered in a respectful manner that allowed the panelists to convey their perspectives on the issue. After the panelists concluded speaking, the event was then opened up to students and audience members to ask questions to the various speakers on the panel. One student stated that Indian history needs more public knowledge in opposition to Hackel, and another student noted that although there was discussion, changes were not being made.
The event allowed Toreros of differing perspectives to have a shared space and respectful discussion on what they thought was the best course of action for Serra Hall’s name. While the future of Serra Hall is still unknown, it will be decided through thoughtful conversation and lively debate by hopefully taking all perspectives into account.