Cabrillo College leaders, which since 2020 have thought about a name change, are unveiling five possibilities at an in-person community forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, at Visual and Performing Arts complex, room 1001, at the Aptos campus, 6500 Soquel Drive.
Two more in-person forums are scheduled to hear public input: 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, at Cabrillo’s Watsonville campus, 318 Union St., Room A-160, and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, at Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.
During the forums, Cabrillo College Board Name Exploration Subcommittee members Christina Cuevas and Adam Spickler along with Cabrillo President-Superintendent Matt Wetstein will review the process and answer questions.
Students and faculty proposed a change, saying Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator who led the first European expedition exploring the California coast on behalf of Spain and became wealthy as a slave-owner in Guatemala, is not a role model for today’s students.
More than half the graduates in the Cabrillo College class of 2023 have Latino heritage.
The college acknowledges that some who oppose the board’s decision to change the name, while pointing out it is for future Cabrillo College students, to make the college a place where all students feel welcome.
A task force with 24 community members chose the five names for consideration out of 350 suggestions.
Spickler, who is board president, and Cuevas have served on the subcommittee leading the name exploration process since 2020.
The name selection task force will meet July 28 to decide what to recommend to the governing board, which meets Aug. 7 at the Watsonville center. That recommendation would appear in the agenda, which is to be posted on Aug. 3.
Might the task force recommend more than one name?
It’s possible.
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Cabrillo College has made a pledge to not spend public funds on costs associated with the name change. Supporters of a new name can donate at https://www.cabrillo.edu/governing-board/name-exploration-subcommittee/.