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Allegations of “reverse racism” hover over a Texas University in response to a petition that seeks to name a new residence hall after a person of color, a woman or a person who is both.

The University of North Texas is scheduled to open its new residence hall in spring 2019 on the southwest corner of campus in Denton.

According to Raw Story, student government leader Misaki Collins launched a petition to name the new building after a person of color or a woman.

“There are over 87 buildings that make up the University of North Texas and none of them are named to pay tribute to a member of the UNT community that identified as people of color and only two buildings (Kristin Farmer Autism Center and Clark Hall) are named after women,” wrote Collins.

The petition drew resistance from university spokesperson Nancy Kolsti, who called the petition “a form of reverse racism,” in an email that was reported by the school’s student newspaper.

“You can certainly suggest individuals whom you think should have the residence hall named after them,” Kolsti wrote, “but you must realize that there are many longtime UNT administrators who are deserving of the honor and were beloved on campus, and they happen to be white males… Insisting that UNT must have a residence hall named after another woman or a ‘person of color’ when there are other deserving individuals is imposing a quota system, and, to me, that is a form of reverse racism.”

Collins told a Dallas TV station: “I’m talking about how diverse UNT is and how great it is and how much I love this school, and there’s a lack of representation in a lot of different aspects.”

The school is scheduled to hold its annual diversity summit this weekend, where this topic is likely to surface.

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University Rep Cries ‘Reverse Racism’ Over Residence Hall Petition  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com