In response to student petitions, the University of Miami’s Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, has announced the renaming of three UM buildings and other changes that student-led petitions have called for. In a campus-wide email sent out Monday night, Chair Hilarie Bass and President Julio Frenk wrote, “We have determined that this is a moment to honor the accomplishments, contributions and legacies of Black role models in the naming of buildings for the first time in university history, reaffirming our commitment to belonging and justice.” George Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables who helped create UM, was a known racist and segregationist, which led students to petition to have his name taken off buildings around UM in July 2020 following similar movements around the country.