The school is a member of the Universities Studying Slavery consortium. Today, about 70 schools have signed on to be a part of this academic collaboration open to those considering or already examining how slavery is woven into their institution's legacy. "It started as a support group," said Kirt von Daacke, a history professor at the University of Virginia, which is one of the original members. "If there's a project trying to launch at a school, you can go to your administration and say, 'Look, here are all these other schools doing it. It's OK.'"