UCLA blunder leads to renaming
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 4, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Schoenberg Building houses the
newly renamed Ostin Hall, in honor of donors Mo and Evelyn
Ostin.
By Monique Simpson
Daily Bruin Contributor
When Randol Schoenberg opened the newspaper on Sept. 5, he was
surprised to read that UCLA’s concert hall was
“officially” being named Ostin Hall.
For 45 years the hall had been known as Schoenberg Hall in honor
of his legendary grandfather, composer Arnold Schoenberg.
Inside what is still named Schoenberg Building is the music hall
now named after Mo Ostin, a UCLA alumnus, and his wife Evelyn.
“I was shocked,” Randol said. “It’s a
historical hall. The auditorium put UCLA on the map because he is
one of the most important composers.”
The Ostins, who could not immediately be reached for comment,
recently donated $5 million to UCLA. Consequently, the procedure to
name the hall in their honor began.
UCLA officials said the hall was never officially named after
Schoenberg, though the building the hall resides in was.
“The building was named after Schoenberg, but not the
large auditorium,” said Carolyn Campbell, director of
communications for the School of Arts and Architecture. “It
was never named.”
But documentation from 45 years ago says otherwise. In February
of 1955, Arnold’s wife Gertrud received a letter from former
Chancellor Raymond Allen announcing the music hall’s
naming.
The letter states “that at their meeting on Jan. 21 the
Regents of the University of California officially named the
auditorium in the new music building on the Los Angeles Campus
“˜Arnold Schoenberg Hall.'”
Additionally, a program dated May 15, 1956, for a concert
dedicating the hall states, “the department of music acted
unanimously in the spring of 1955 to recommend to the regents of
the university that the concert hall in the new music building bear
his name.”
UCLA officials said the new name of the hall came as a result of
a donation.
“A gift came in and there was a request for a naming of a
hall,” said Theresa De Maria, coordinator of endowed chairs
and naming.
Randol said he is displeased by what he sees as poor judgment by
UCLA.
“If we could have raised $5 million and $1, would UCLA
have kept the name Schoenberg?” he said. “This is a bad
move by UCLA.
“It sets a bad precedent. What’s to stop the same
hall from being bought again?” he continued.
But UCLA officials affirm that the naming of Ostin Hall followed
the correct procedure.
“The Ostin naming was thoroughly reviewed,” said
Michael C. Eicher, vice chancellor of external affairs.
“Major namings go through a formal and exhaustive review
process that includes senior campus leadership and the
chancellor,” he said.
Eicher added that “the Schoenberg name is still the name
of the music building.”
Naming campus facilities after major donors is not new a
phenomenon at UCLA. In 1999, UCLA announced the naming of the dance
building to “Glorya Kaufman Hall” after philanthropist
Glorya Kaufman donated $18 million toward the renovation of the
building.
In April 2000, UCLA came under scrutiny for naming the new
medical complex after former President Ronald Reagan, after
receiving a donation of $150 million.
Randol said he hopes UCLA will reconsider the name change
because his grandfather was an important figure in music.
For many, Arnold Schoenberg’s music was complex and beyond
his time.
In 1933, he was forced to flee Europe by the Nazis, resulting in
his move to America. He went on to teach music at UCLA from 1936 to
1944.
“He opened up the possibility for latter composers to use
all the tones of the scale in a comprehensive way,” said
Leonard Stain, Arnold’s assistant at UCLA.
The Schoenberg family plans to continue voicing their
disappointment with the hall’s name change with the wish that
someone with authority will give back the auditorium its original
name.
“It should stay Schoenberg Hall,” Randol said.
“There’s a statue of Schoenberg’s head in the
hall. What are they going to do with that?”
Lawrence Schoenberg, Arnold’s son, plans to attend the
next UC Regents’ meeting to inform them about this
problem.
“UCLA should say to Ostin that they made a mistake,”
Randol said. “Maybe they can name the music library after
Ostin. There must be other naming opportunities.”
