There Is a time-tested political adage that states, "When you find yourself in a hole, it's time to stop digging." Over the weekend, California University President Angelo Armenti Jr. finally put down his shovel.
Faced with a tidal wave of negative public opinion, Armenti dropped a plan to change the name of his institution to Eberly University. The action brought to a close nearly a month of bad press, alumni complaints and angry public reaction.
The saga began Sept. 21 when Armenti formally announced plans to name the university after the family of Fayette County philanthropist Robert Eberly. The Eberlys have donated more than $6 million to Cal U.
The move received early support from politicians and other public figures. State Rep. Peter J. Daley and state Sen. Richard Kasunic both spoke at the Sept. 21 ceremony to announce the intended change, with Daley calling the move "good for the community" and Kasunic praising Armenti and the university board of trustees for being "innovative."
But any momentum the renaming effort had didn't last long beyond the formal ceremony. Angry alumni bombarded area media, including The Valley Independent, with a flood of letters opposing the change. Most promised to disassociate themselves from the university and cut off future donations if the new name were approved.
The heat also apparently reached the political front, as Daley announced Oct. 1 that he no longer supported the new name and would work to defeat it if it reached the House floor.
Despite such a key defection and despite the overwhelming public opposition, Armenti persisted in his efforts, not giving in until last weekend when Eberly sent him a formal letter asking that the proposal be dropped.
Eberly's motivation certainly is understandable. He has no need for the negative publicity surrounding this affair, and dragging it out places his family's good deeds in a bad light.
Two major mistakes doomed Armenti's misguided attempt at gratitude. The first one was not gaining more input from alumni before announcing the name change. The other was underestimating the significance of the university's name.
Names are important. They hold fond memories and a sense of identity. Alumni feel like they belong to California University; they would have no such connection to a school called Eberly.
We're glad to see that Armenti finally got the message. We hope he chooses his future battles more carefully.
