Harvard axes title of ‘house master’ over slavery link

THE title house master is being abolished by Harvard University after students complained it has overtones of slavery.

Staff at the university voted unanimously to change the name given to the heads of its 12 halls of residence who oversee the pastoral care of students.

College dean Rakesh Khurana said a committee will propose a title to ‘reflect the current realities of the role’ within weeks.

Ronald S Sullivan Jnr, an African American law professor and master of Winthrop House, said house masters collectively made the decision to change it. ‘We cannot ignore the fact that “master” has a particular salience in our culture, given the brutal history of slavery,’ he said, alluding to its use as a description of slave owners.

Use of the term in academia follows the British public school tradition which took the name from the Latin magister, meaning teacher.