A live video feed of the meeting will be available online at youtu.be/La8kj4TywhE.

The university’s announcement of the meeting said anyone wanting to comment during the meeting must contact EIU Vice President for Advancement Ken Wetstein by 10 a.m. Thursday.

Instructions on joining the meeting will be available by calling 217-581-5129 or by emailing to kawestein@eiu.edu, it said. Written comments can be submitted by the same deadline, it also said.

Douglas Hall and its neighboring Lincoln Hall were named in recognition of the debates between Lincoln and Douglas in the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign. One of the series of debates took place at the Coles County Fairgrounds.

During the September Board of Trustees’ meeting, Glassman said Douglas supported slavery and the naming of the residence hall was “never intended to commemorate that.” He said the name is “contrary to EIU’s values.”

Several schools of higher learning, including Illinois State University, have moved to alter names representing slave holders and racists. 

The committee will make a recommendation on whether to change the building’s name and the actual decision will be up to the Board of Trustees.

There’s no indication when the board might make that decision. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 13.