VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Wesleyan University’s homecoming week starts this Friday, but not all alumni are celebrating their alma mater during the festivities.
A group of VWU graduates are boycotting the university’s planned name change to Batten University with an “alternative celebration” called “No Home Homecoming.”
The No Home Homecoming event is organized by a grassroots effort called “We Are Virginia Wesleyan.” The new name is set to go into effect next July – a change the group hopes to prevent.
“Our name is our soul, our story, and our bond,” said a spokesperson for We Are Virginia Wesleyan in a release. “We aren’t against change, but erasing our identity erases decades of history and community. This is about ensuring Virginia Wesleyan remains Virginia Wesleyan.”
Previous coverage: Virginia Wesleyan University alum starts petition to stop school's renaming
The group shared its itinerary of events taking place either at or near VWU’s campus. This includes a rally at the campus’s entrance “to show solidarity and public opposition to the name change” Saturday at noon – the same time the university’s Homecoming FinFest next to Birdsong Field starts.
The name change was met with strong backlash from many alumni when it was announced in August. WTKR News 3 spoke with former Virginia Wesleyan athlete Devin Cowhey, who went on to work as a faculty member for three years after graduating in 2010. Cowhey organized an online petition in an effort to prevent VWU from becoming Batten University, amassing over 5,500 signatures.
"You're changing something so meaningful to people,” Cowhey previously told News 3. “That name, when you think of Wesleyan, you think of Ohio Wesleyan, North Carolina Wesleyan. It was part of a network, we knew it was in Virginia and we understood it."
Previous coverage: Virginia Wesleyan, despite protests, says Batten name change 'is final'
University officials say the name change is meant to honor the contributions of Jane Batten and her family. When announcing the new name, VWU highlighted the Batten's longstanding support of the university, citing various initiatives like scholarships, global campus investments and campus-wide projects spearheaded by the family.
The honors college, student center, school of public policy, and a variety of programs at VWU already bear the Batten name.
Many alumni who spoke with News 3 said they’re grateful for the Batten’s contributions, but they’re hoping the family’s impact on the university can be acknowledged in a different way.
"We'd like to understand why we'd like to see the white paper that was done that convinced Mrs. Batten to go along with this name change," Kim Russell, who graduated from VWU in 1993, previously told News 3. "We're so appreciative of everything she's done for the school. We think she's amazing, but we just want to understand what got us here."
Despite the previous protests and pushback, the decision to change its name to Batten University "is final,” as noted in a statement shared with News 3 back in August.
