Missouri president resigns amid student protest
Michael Cali/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS with permission
Protesters raise their fists to celebrate Tim Wolfe’s resignation during the Concerned Students 1950 protest on Monday, Nov. 9 2015, in Columbia, Mo.
November 12, 2015
On Monday Nov. 9, University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe stepped down from his position. This was following a long protest from Mizzou students and a boycott from its athletes.
These protests came as a result of the actions, or lack thereof, of President Tim Wolfe. He allowed multiple racist and bigoted incidents to occur on campus, without issuinng any responses.
While racism in the state is certainly nothing new, recent incidents date back to this September. In September, an alarming Facebook message was found from Student Government President Payton Head.
“I just want to say how extremely hurt and disappointed I am,” Head said in a Facebook post. “Last night as I was walking through campus,some guys riding on the back of some pickup truck decided that it would be okay to continuously scream (expletive) at me.”
Less than a month later, a white student interrupted a black student organization, bombarding them with racial slurs.
The last straw was when a swastika was drawn in human waste in a dorm room bathroom. A lack of response from Wolfe is what caused the protest and outrage.
While protesters marched throughout campus, arguably the most powerful message came from two separate organizations.
The first was a hunger strike launched by graduate student Jonathan Butler. Butler promised not to eat a morsel until Wolfe stepped down from his position. The strike began the morning of Nov. 2 and ended Nov. 9, lasting a total of eight days.
“I will not consume any food or nutritional sustenance at the expense of my health until either Tim Wolfe is removed from office or my internal organs fail and my life is lost,” Butler wrote as he began the strike.
The University of Missouri football team also went on strike, holding out from practice. They refused to partake in any football activities until the resignation or firing of Wolfe.
Similarly to Butler, the team was dissatisfied with the handling of the racist incidents, and used peaceful protest to prove a point.
Head coach Gary Pinkel stood behind his players and their actions.
“The Mizzou family stands as one,” Pinkel said in a tweet. “We are united. We are behind our players.”
On a less important note, the resignation of Wolfe saved the university from a $1 million fine that would have had to be absorbed if the team forfeited the game.
“We need to use my resignation, please, please, use this resignation, to heal, not to hate, and let’s move forward together for a brighter tomorrow,” Wolfe said when announcing him stepping down.
Wolfe’s resignation poses the question of whether or not students possess the power to institute change. For a long time the impression has been that students, in particular student athletes, are powerless at their institutions. The Missouri football team’s actions have a chance to change that, and give power to students in universities across the nation.