March 2018


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The Hall of Residence at The UWI St. Augustine Campus formerly known as Milner Hall is now Freedom Hall. The process to review the name Milner Hall started in October 2017 having gained approval of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) on the recommendation of a report compiled by Pro Vice-Chancellor Alan Cobley, Professor of South African History.

The report confirmed the association of Lord Alfred Milner, whom the Hall was named after, with crimes against humanity in Africa among other actions driven by a 'British race supremacy' ideology.

Milner Hall is the oldest of the Halls of Residence at the St. Augustine campus. It was built in 1927 and has been in existence for over 90 years and has been the home of many regional and international students. Milner Hall was part of the original Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture which preceded the St. Augustine Campus. It was subsequently enlarged to accommodate over 300 students.

The name review process included a series of consultations with stakeholders of The UWI St. Augustine Campus including Hall residents and a wider call to all students, staff and alumni to recommend alternative names. The final decision was made on the recommendation of the current residents of Milner Hall.

The new name was approved by the Campus Finance and General Purposes Committee and later, by the University-wide Finance and General Purposes Committee on February 20, 2018.

Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland expressed his satisfaction with the process. “I am pleased that due process was followed with transparency and that consultation was prioritised. The result is a new name and our new focus will be on helping our students, particularly the residents of Freedom Hall to adjust to the change.”