Temple’s history is vast and nuanced, with numerous buildings and landmarks around campus named in honor of former presidents and administrators.
Many of these buildings represent historic times, people and financial contributors to Temple. However, as important as these people may be, some buildings and locations around Temple are named after individuals with controversial pasts.
Patrick J. O’Connor, former chair of the Board of Trustees and lifelong honorary trustee, has been on and off the board since 1971. After donating to the university in 2017, O’Connor was honored with his namesake, O’Connor Plaza. The plaza has the iconic bronze owl statue and is located next to Founder’s Garden, the burial site for Temple’s founder Russell Conwell.
In 2005, O’Connor served as Bill Cosby’s defense attorney in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault. A former Temple employee, Andrea Constand, filed the civil suit. Cosby, a former Temple student and university trustee, was charged in 2015 with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Associating O’Connor’s name with a historic, central location on campus creates an unfavorable image for the university.
Buildings and landmarks around campus named after individuals with controversial pasts, like O’Connor Plaza, must be acknowledged and changed. Although O’Connor is a significant contributor to Temple, his name causes too much controversy.
Mia Milliken believes Temple shouldn’t take pride in someone who represented Cosby in court and the administration should change the name of O’Connor Plaza.
“I think they should probably change the name because they’ve kind of already tried to erase Bill Cosby from Temple’s alumni, I feel like that’s not something people are proud of,” said Milliken, a junior psychology major. “And so I feel like if they’re not proud of that, then why are they proud of his defense attorney?”
It’s not common for Temple to rename buildings on campus but it is possible. In 2021, the College of Liberal Arts building, formerly known as Anderson Hall, was renamed Mazur Hall following philanthropic donations.
The decision to remove names from buildings and landmarks on campus rests with the Board of Trustees or its designee. This action may be taken if it’s determined that the association with the donor or honoree could significantly harm the university’s reputation, standing, integrity or conflict with university values.
Temple boasts of creating a community of inclusivity and a welcoming environment, according to its missions and values. A university is unable to enact those goals while naming such an integral part of the campus after a man who accepted the role of legal defendant for Bill Cosby.
Even though name changes don’t happen often, this extraordinary circumstance merits it. Temple can recognize what O’Connor has done for the university, but it does not have to include a namesake on such a central part of campus.
Temple acknowledges the work O’Connor did for Cosby and said he took the job as an act of equitable defense in the justice system, a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
“It is well-known that Mr. O’Connor served as an attorney for Mr. Cosby,” the spokesperson wrote. “Mr. O’Connor was and is a preeminent trial lawyer and a firm believer in the justice system, specifically that persons accused of wrongdoing have a right to counsel and are entitled to a defense.”
Throughout the past decade, students have repeatedly requested the renaming of O’Connor Plaza and Patrick O’Connor’s resignation. In 2017, the student organization Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance called for O’Connor to step down as chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Nili Schreibman feels unsettled by the association between such a central part of Temple’s campus and the defense of Bill Cosby.
“I feel like, unfortunately, that’s something that’s really common,” said Schreibman, a freshman sports media major. “I feel there’s a lot of time that it seems like every powerful man is included in something that’s a scandal or something bad. And so I feel like, time and time again you’re disappointed by the people that are supposed to be the standard.”
O’Connor may have close ties with Temple and past university decisions, but his controversial past shouldn’t be associated with the university’s landmarks. Students, faculty and all Temple community members shouldn’t have to see the name of an individual who served as the defense attorney for Cosby, a man with such a sordid past. Such connections between Cosby and the university should be severed, and renaming the plaza is an acceptable step.
Although the Sixth Amendment is a fundamental right allowing all Americans a right to counsel, O’Connor shouldn’t not be commemorated by the university. The Board of Trustees and university faculty should listen to students and rename O’Connor Plaza.
Nili Schreibman has previously freelanced for The Temple News. She did not contribute to the writing, reporting or editing of this article.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story that was published on Nov. 11 has been revised. The current version of the story published on Nov. 16 reflects those revisions.
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