Browning Requests Name Removal

Last month, Louis N. Browning ‘50 mailed a letter to Exeter in the care of The Exonian’s editor and Nicie Panetta, Exeter’s trustee correspondent, requesting that his family’s name be removed from Browning House’s title. The reasons that motivated his decision and request were twofold: Browning said that the representation of students from the area between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains—a region he defined as the “hinterlands”—was too low, and also denounced the Academy’s gradual acceptance of “same-gender marriage and homosexual coupling.”Former class president and class correspondent of the Class of 1950, Browning has been an involved alumnus and donor, and donated Browning House in 1969 with his two brothers in honor of their father, the man who chose to send them to the Academy. His complaints suggest potential difficulties the school may face in keeping up with social change but also pleasing its graduates, many of whom donate to the school. When contemporary norms and the interests of alumni come into conflict, the administration must work to satisfy both; however, at times, this order cannot be met.In the case of Browning, the response to the letter remains uncertain. Administrators who most frequently work with alumni affairs and donations did not wish to comment for this article. Panetta offered a brief response requesting that the private nature and confidentiality of the matter be respected. “I hope you can appreciate that we hope to work with Mr. Browning privately,” she said. Panetta also expressed gratitude towards Browning and his family’s past service and generosity to the school, and plans to convene with him in the future.

 “The Academy continues to be committed to recruiting kids from the Midwest and would welcome Mr. Browning’s continued help in our effort.”

“I am sorry that Mr. Browning is disappointed with Exeter at the moment, and we will look forward to speaking with him privately,” she said, declining to answer further questions.Principal Lisa MacFarlane also declined to comment on the matter for the time being, and employees in the department of Institutional Advancement chose not to speak or take part in on-the-record interviews. It was not clear whether the rest of Browning’s family agrees with his views, or who, if anyone, in the family controls the naming rights. However, students who learned of the matter saw the potential for a community-wide discussion about the effect the school’s funders have on the institution and about Browning’s values. Browning himself endorsed conversation on his letter. “I am happy to have [this] article published,” he said.Residents of Browning House in particular were struck by the content of Browning’s letter with regards to same-sex relationships. Senior Cesar Zamudio dismissed much of its content as frustration with cultural shifts that have occurred naturally over time. “Culture evolves from generation to generation. Our society no longer views homosexuality as an enigma or as an illness,” though varying sexuality was rarely discussed or tolerated in the past. Within 24 hours of hearing about the letter, news circulated throughout the dorm.Lower Teddy Scott, who also lives in Browning, said that the dorm’s general opinion in response to the letter held that “we would be more than happy to get rid of his name” because his thoughts and values are not propagated on campus or by the Academy.Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) co-head and lower Maria Heeter agreed. She said the school should not support Browning’s views through the maintenance of Browning House’s name. “Would we really want a man who has expressed hatred towards a portion of our students to represent our school?” she asked.GSA co-head and upper Lauren Wilson said that while she understood his point of view, his views shouldn’t be supported or change any policy or culture at the school. Wilson thought that his response to the school today is a testament to its progress. She credited his opinions to his age and said they were outdated and representative of an older Exeter. “The fact of the matter is that Exeter is open to LGBT students and isn’t planning on changing that anytime soon,” whether Browning withdrew his support of the school or not.His views on recruitment and regional diversity, too, were challenged on campus. While Director of Admissions Michael Gary said that current students from the “hinterlands” do not make up a particularly substantial percentage of the student body (approximately six percent), he reasoned that this number is consistent with other similar preparatory schools in the area and does not represent a failure in recruitment or outreach. While Browning claimed the Academy should be more actively recruiting students from this area, Gary also said “it isn’t due to a lack of trying. The Academy continues to be committed to recruiting kids from the Midwest and would welcome Mr. Browning’s continued help in our effort.”The school’s official response to the letter is unclear, particularly because so few administrators were available to comment on the protocol with which they handle messages from donor alumni. Browning said that he’d be happy to meet with trustees to discuss a name change and campus policy further, as long as he was able to discuss the matter “in good faith,” and they could consider “reversing their positions” instead of falling back on rhetoric in favor of the current policy.Browning also said that months before he had mailed a similar letter that went unanswered and unaddressed. As of a week ago, Browning and Panetta had been in contact, but Browning had said her reply “skirts around [his] appeal.” We are unaware if they have been in contact since.Panetta said the lack of acknowledgement of Browning’s original request was due to a miscommunication. “Unfortunately, I never received the first letter he says he sent several months ago to me in care of the Academy,” she said.In remains to be seen whether Browning will continue to discuss potential changes with community members or if a name change will occur.