Harvard steps may lead down a thorny path

CAMBRIDGE – The latest call by students at Harvard University for the school to purge terms or symbols deemed offensive by a vocal minority raises what could be a confounding issue: How far will the 379-year-old school go to distance itself from historic figures whose actions and social values we would not approve today?

Recently, adults who live in Harvard undergraduate residences, known as Houses, decided to drop the term 'master' from their titles. The these adult leaders, or dorm parents, who were formerly called 'House Masters', are currently working with school administrators to pick a different title to describe their role.  According to a recent Harvard Crimson report, critics argued that the term "master" is evocative of slavery and racism, making the title offensive.