Corbin Hall Tiles
Corbin Hall was constructed in 1927 and features a set of tiles on the west side of the building displaying a decorative element commonly incorporated into 1920s Neoclassical architecture. These interlocking horizontal bands (Greek Meanders) have deep roots in many cultures and traditions around the world. For example, the symbol has appeared in Greek, Native American, Hindu, and Buddhist art. Various cultures have used this symbol for centuries to signify friendship, life, and other positive meanings.
The version of the symbol featured on the Corbin Hall tiles is also a mirror image of the swastika symbol co-opted by the Nazi regime as a central image of its genocidal and anti-democratic ideology, which promoted hatred and violence toward Jews, Roma, LGBTIQ+ people, political dissidents, those with an actual or perceived disability, and others.
To think of the swastika is to recall the purposeful and systematic categorization of human beings whose lives were deemed unimportant and who were subjected to barbarous medical experiments, torture, and extermination. The Nazis used this categorization to justify the murder of six million Jews and countless others. This symbol and its layered histories remind us that difficult pasts cannot be erased, that reprehensible parts of the past should not be glorified, and that combating hatred is our ongoing responsibility.
Corbin Hall Tiles Plaque Co-Design
The campus community underwent a multi-year process that led to the Corbin Hall tiles plaque and a commitment to ongoing conversation. We hope this plaque, this living website, and an annual event will sustain the conversation in ways that build a learning environment where all voices can be heard and where we all can lean into the complexity of history and our shared responsibility to combat hate.
In the fall of 2019, the campus community began to discuss and debate the tiles featured on Corbin Hall. These discussions continued for several years and included many voices.
Groups that have hosted conversations about the Corbin Hall tiles include the Diversity Advisory Council, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, the Associated Students of the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, and the Office of the President. Also contributing their valuable perspectives and expertise to these conversations were Rabbi Mark Kula, a Jewish leader in our campus community and current Rabbi at Har Shalom in Missoula; Rabbi Laurie Franklin, Rabbi Emerita at Har Shalom; State Historic Preservation Officer Peter Brown; Bjorn Krondorfer, Regents’ Professor and Director of the Martin-Springer Institute at Northern Arizona University, an organization dedicated to global engagement through Holocaust awareness; Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; and other community members.
These discussions brought together a diversity of views on the tiles, some appealing to a centuries-long history of the symbol, some pointing to the more recent Nazi use of a similar symbol, some stressing the varied impacts of the symbol on those who view it, and some pointing to the dangers in forgetting or denying any of the historical associations.
They also led to a variety of strong opinions on what should happen to the tiles: remove the tiles and place them in UM Archives and Special Collections, do nothing, leave them in place but install a plaque that provides education, use them as an occasion for an annual event, among other opinions.
After considering these perspectives and consulting many people, President Bodnar announced that the Corbin Hall tiles would remain in place, that we would co-design and install an interpretive plaque, and that we would use the tiles to promote ongoing dialogue and educational opportunities.
President Bodnar engaged a group of staff, faculty, Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, administrators, and community members—most of whom had been participants in the dialogues for several years – to collaboratively enact this approach in ways that reflect UM’s educational mission and responsibility to enhance the climate of inclusion on campus.
Over the course of several months, this group worked together to design a Corbin Hall plaque, this website, and an inaugural event featuring Director Ken Stern from the Bard Center for the Study of Hate.
We hope our efforts contribute to UM’s role in promoting diverse thought and ongoing dialogue as the antidote to misinformation, historical erasure, and oversimplification of issues that impact our lives.
