The decision comes a month after the university decided not to do away with Wilson's name on campus
PRINCETON - Recent student protests over the "racist legacy" of Princeton University former president, Woodrow Wilson, did not fall of deaf ears.
The Woodrow Wilson College recognized those protests Wednesday when they announced that they would remove a wall-length picture of Wilson, from the wall of the college dining hall.
In a statement sent to members of the college Wednesday, head of the college, Eduardo Cadava called the photo - which shows the former president throwing the first pitch at a baseball game -, "unduly celebratory."
"(The picture) is not in keeping with the spirit of Wilson College's founding wish to have Princeton be a place that is truly diverse and inclusive, and one that embraces, respects and values all its members," Cadava wrote.
The announcement comes months after student group, the Black Justice League led November protests and a 32-hour sit-in during which they demanded Wilson's name to be stripped from buildings on campus. Protesters called Wilson's legacy "racist" and said that he implemented and upheld segregationist practices.
In response, the university formed a committee of trustees to consider the Wilson name's place on campus.
Around the same time, Eisgruber asked Cadava to consider whether to remove the Wilson photograph.
In early April the trustee committee announced they would not be doing away with the Wilson name on campus, despite what the university called, "Wilson's failings and shortcomings."
Student protestors oppose Princeton decision
But Cadava came to a very different decision.
He said in his announcement Wednesday that some Wilson College students formed their own committee to consider Wilson's photo and that they wrote a formal report, suggesting the picture be removed.
"It is important to remember that the name of the college was chosen in honor not of Wilson, but of his vision for the residential college system," Cadava said, citing the student report.
"The giant picture in the dining hall unavoidably brings the man Wilson into the college Wilson," Cadava said.
He went on to thank the Black Justice League for bringing the Wilson issue to light on Princeton's campus. .
"The university community owes the Black Justice League a felt debt for providing us with the occasion to reflect in a considered way about the issues that they raised. Had it not been for their insistence, we might not have undertaken this necessary task and I believe we are all in a better place because of our having done so," Cadava said.
The photo, which was first put up during a 2009 renovation, will be replaced with, "a visual representation that embodies the college's unique history in relation to issues of inclusion and diversity," Cadava wrote, though he did not provide specifics.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.