Ethan Fredericks, Assisstant Editor~
On July 1st, 2018, the Westover Honors Program followed the University of Lynchburg’s initiative and underwent a name change, rebranding itself as the Westover Honors College.
Information regarding the change has remained foggy. With a singular twitter post from the Westover Honors College account regarding the change and no outside news coverage, details are mainly spread via word-of-mouth. This unfortunate circumstance has kept some of those enrolled in the Westover Honors College in the dark about the change.
Despite this, there were several members of the Westover Honors College who were more than happy to give their feedback.
“It’s frustrating to me a little bit because I go to other schools and their honors colleges are kind of a big deal,” said Ashani Parker, a member of the Westover Honors College, after being asked about the Program’s recent change.
“Calling it a college makes it sound more professional and upscale, and it just sounds better on your resume,” said Jeremy Webb, another member of the Westover Honors College. With the University of Lynchburg now branding its new status, it makes sense that those in charge of the once Westover Program would want to impress and adopt a more “professional” visage.
“Honestly, it’s just a name change,” said Malik Nowlin, the final Westover member interviewed. Many of the members interviewed were unable to make a comment about the change, due to lack of general knowledge about the entire situation. Furthermore, Nowlin’s sentiment seems to reflect the overall attitude of those within Westover’s Honors College towards the change: particularly lukewarm.
Dr. Edward DeClair, Director of Westover Fellows Honors Program, was unavailable for comments.