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Mistake etched in granite on University of Texas memorial to shooting victims Mistake etched in granite on University of Texas memorial to shooting victims
(21 days later)
A new memorial for the victims of the 1966 University of Texas tower massacre is etched with a word Latin professors say constitutes an embarrassing mistake that is literally set in stone.A new memorial for the victims of the 1966 University of Texas tower massacre is etched with a word Latin professors say constitutes an embarrassing mistake that is literally set in stone.
Related: As campus carry becomes Texas law, memories of UT Tower massacre linger
The granite memorial unveiled this week honors victims on the 50th anniversary of sniper Charles Whitman climbing to the top of the 27-storey clock tower and opening fire. Seventeen deaths were ultimately attributed to Whitman, and the names of the dead are etched on the stone monument below the Latin word “INTERFECTUM”, which is equivalent in English to “killed”.The granite memorial unveiled this week honors victims on the 50th anniversary of sniper Charles Whitman climbing to the top of the 27-storey clock tower and opening fire. Seventeen deaths were ultimately attributed to Whitman, and the names of the dead are etched on the stone monument below the Latin word “INTERFECTUM”, which is equivalent in English to “killed”.
The problem, UT classics professors say, is that this is the impersonal, singular version of the word.The problem, UT classics professors say, is that this is the impersonal, singular version of the word.
“This is a very basic point that any student of first-semester Latin would get,” said Lesley Dean-Jones, the classics department chairwoman.“This is a very basic point that any student of first-semester Latin would get,” said Lesley Dean-Jones, the classics department chairwoman.
The mistake was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. Dean-Jones said her department – which isn’t far from the memorial – was not consulted beforehand. Other classics professors at the 50,000-student campus on Thursday expressed bewilderment that it wasn’t factchecked more closely and said the simplest fix would be to change the word to “interfecti”, which would make it personal and plural.The mistake was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. Dean-Jones said her department – which isn’t far from the memorial – was not consulted beforehand. Other classics professors at the 50,000-student campus on Thursday expressed bewilderment that it wasn’t factchecked more closely and said the simplest fix would be to change the word to “interfecti”, which would make it personal and plural.
Correcting the memorial will be no problem, said Erica Saenz, a UT associate vice-president of diversity and community engagement who said the wording was chosen by a memorial committee outside the university and that administrators wanted to honor their wishes.Correcting the memorial will be no problem, said Erica Saenz, a UT associate vice-president of diversity and community engagement who said the wording was chosen by a memorial committee outside the university and that administrators wanted to honor their wishes.
“We wanted to support the selection,” Saenz said. “We should have done a deeper dive.”“We wanted to support the selection,” Saenz said. “We should have done a deeper dive.”
Saenz did not say how or when the memorial might be fixed.Saenz did not say how or when the memorial might be fixed.