UM-Crookston Weighing Options to Address Controversial Murals on Campus

The University of Minnesota Crookston campus is trying to figure out what to do with what it calls “problematic” images that are center stage in the university’s auditorium.

John Hoffman, Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs, says the two largest murals – one of which depicts Vikings arriving in Minnesota with weapons drawn being greeted by Native Americans, and the other showing a treaty signing of land – depict an inaccurate and romanticized view of history that draws on stereotypes.

The university is not going to destroy the murals, and it’s too expensive to permanently remove them. A committee of students, faculty, alumni, and local tribes are considering what to do with the murals. One idea is to cover them with retractable panels, which Hoffman says could be opened up for educational sessions to discuss the dangers of rewriting history.

Campus leaders hope to have a final solution sometime early on in the spring semester.