For all the talk about the president having white male ‘privilege’ it seems that the real ‘privilege’ is football player privilege. Many of them wouldn’t be in college in the first place based on academic standards and yet they wield the power of the money involved in college football programs as a cudgel to get what they want. They are the privileged ones.
What does “an hour from Ferguson” have anything to do with anything? Columbia, MO is not metro St Louis.
Are you saying that racial epithets get tossed around so much and are so common in our culture that we should all just get used to it? I guess that’s one route we could take in all this. However, there’s no excuse for the protests going on “for weeks” before the university president responds. That’s different. That’s demonstrating willful neglect of his students.
@TatinG The school would not have football money if it were not for the players. Let’s face the ugly truth of college football. Schools recruit the players knowing most have little chance for academic success and less chance than that of entering the NFL. The players are often helped to AVOID academic challenge than to DEAl with it. The schools use these kids to raise money. Most kids go in naive and hopelessly optimistic that they will be the ones who can make it to the big league.
It would be interesting to know what the Mizzou President’s position was on “safe spaces”, “trigger warnings” and the other pablum before the guns of outrage were trained on him.
The football program made just shy of $50 million last year. Average cost of attendance for an out of state student, $23,000. $23,000 x 85 scholarship players = $1,955,000. Doesn’t really seem like they are wielding all that much power.
Exactly. The ‘privilege’ is wielding the power of money. No football game, no money. Even though this team had a losing season, which brings me to another point. If they had any chance at any bowl games or a winning season, this protest would never have happened. They wouldn’t have even thought about defaulting the last few games if they had anything real to lose.
@TatinG – if it’s true what you’re saying – that the football players are the privileged ones – then their action is all the more admirable: they risk their privilege to make a point. Seems like they’re serious. Seems like they’re willing to risk a lot for something that in no way benefits them directly. I’m impressed. Black athletes who use their position to make statements unpopular in the white community usually lose. Big time.
I really don’t get how Planned Parenthood and graduate student childcare are racial issues. Is that a special circumstance at Mizzou? In other words, are their graduate school students and women of color singled out with regard to those things? Because if not, it seems like people looking for an excuse for their activism.
I’m a parent of a high school senior and I can tell you I would never let my kid apply to a place in such turmoil. I wonder what this will do to its yield numbers this year.
They are not racial issues, but they primed the environment with discontent about the administration’s actions. Racial issues by themselves tend to be inflammatory, so racial issues coming up in an environment primed with discontent is like adding gasoline fumes to an already smoldering fire.
I think this is exactly right.
The seniors at least were willing to put the last three games most of them would ever play on the line. I think that probably matters a whole lot more than whether they get bowl eligible and play in a minor bowl somewhere.
I also think there has to be something more to the situation with the President. The football coach appears to be supporting his players. To me that means there was something more than a couple of minor incidents. The University system also seemed to decide not to support Wolfe - either to make it all go away or because the protesters raised legitimate concerns.
The students, regardless of their scholarship status, have the right and the responsibility to protest if there is real injustice going on. The University has the right to respond as it deems appropriate. Wolfe acknowledged inaction in his resignation remarks. Much of the faculty and the governor seemed to acknowledge a problem exists and that not much has been done to address it. Of course, the question now is whether anything will actually change.
It is of course impossible to know whether or not the players would have been willing to do this if a big bowl game was on the line. But they were still willing to give up the remainder of their season for this protect. Why be so cynical?
There is a difference in level of privilege a football player may receive a big school while in school and the level of privilege afforded to white males in the wider world. The “privilege” of a football player is earned on the field - not simply being born in the right body. Off the field and on the street, that privilege vanishes for all but the most well known of those players.
There also is a big difference between creating a campus environment where students of color feel just as welcome as any other student and jumping to trigger warnings in the classroom. Not at all the same thing and nobody here is asking for that.
Maybe the football coach wants to maintain a good relationship with his players, and the best way to do that is to join them in attacking the university president because otherwise they might be coming for him next. Isn’t that a typical response to bullying and fear?
@circuitrider - Please do not invoke a straw man (you may prefer men of straw) argument. These protesters in Missouri used racial issues to prosecute a political vendetta that was started by other issues.
I sure would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during the Board’s meeting with President Wolfe. Wolfe’s resignation speech seemed heart-felt, but I honestly believe that the looming threat of a million-dollar loss (a forfeited football game) was certainly on the minds of the Board members. Mizzou joined the SEC two years ago for a reason; a financial reason. And I would not be surprised if Wolfe’s contract (or negotiations during the past 48 hours) will provide a generous soft landing for him.
"Besides, if a drunk guy yells racial epitaphs, why is that the fault of the president of the university system?
Are you saying that racial epithets get tossed around so much and are so common in our culture that we should all just get used to it?"
Good grief. How did you ever twist the first statement into the second?
“I like butterflies.”
“Are you saying that elephants are common?”
The OP meant exactly what he said. Why is it the president’s fault that some drunk idiot yelled something stupid?
Why is it that it’s the president’s fault that a drunk idiot said something stupid, but not the president’s fault that a bunch of people acted like thugs in blocking a moving car?
BTW, here is a list of demands from the protesters.
I. We demand that the University of Missouri System President, Tim Wolfe, writes a handwritten apology to the Concerned Student 1-9-5-0 demonstrators and holds a press conference in the Mizzou Student Center reading the letter. In the letter and at the press conference, Tim Wolfe must acknowledge his white male privilege, recognize that systems of oppression exist, and provide a verbal commitment to fulfilling Concerned Student 1-9-5-0 demands. We want Tim Wolfe to admit to his gross negligence, allowing his driver to hit one of the demonstrators, consenting to the physical violence of bystanders, and lastly refusing to intervene when Columbia Police Department used excessive force with demonstrators.
II. We demand the immediate removal of Tim Wolfe as UM system president. After his removal a new amendment to UM system policies must be established to have all future UM system president and Chancellor positions be selected by a collective of students, staff, and faculty of diverse backgrounds.
III. We demand that the University of Missouri meets the Legion of Black Collegians’ demands that were presented in 1969 for the betterment of the black community.
IV. We demand that the University of Missouri creates and enforces comprehensive racial awareness and inclusion curriculum throughout all campus departments and units, mandatory for all students, faculty, staff, and administration. This curriculum must be vetted, maintained, and overseen by a board comprised of students, staff, and faculty of color.
V. We demand that by the academic year 2017-2018, the University of Missouri increases the percentage of black faculty and staff campus-wide to 10%.
VI. We demand that the University of Missouri composes a strategic 10 year plan by May 1, 2016 that will increase retention rates for marginalized students, sustain diversity curriculum and training, and promote a more safe and inclusive campus.
VII. We demand that the University of Missouri increases funding and resources for the University of Missouri Counseling Center for the purpose of hiring additional mental health professionals – particularly those of color, boosting mental health outreach and programming across campus, increasing campus-wide awareness and visibility of the counseling center, and reducing lengthy wait times for prospective clients.
VIII. We demand that the University of Missouri increases funding, resources, and personnel for the social justices centers on campus for the purpose of hiring additional professionals, particularly those of color, boosting outreach and programming across campus, and increasing campus-wide awareness and visibility.
There are other demands.
I’ll translate the demands - Do things our way, only our way, and everything will be OK.
I suspect there is something deeper than a few incidents with this situation, for the football players to risk their scholarships, and for the seniors potentially a chance to be drafted into the NFL, by doing something like this is telling. The NFL is not exactly a hotbed of social justice, it is still very much a conservative group and having your name tied to something like boycotting a football game is not exactly going to help your chances of being drafted, plus if you don’t play X games, that is that many less games to prove yourself before the scouts. Even without a bowl bid, those players are risking a lot, and I suspect it is a lot deeper than posturing or over ‘trivial’ things like some redneck yelling racial slurs, for them to risk this means there is more than likely a lot more to it. I am not going to wade into the protestors demands or whether the football players care about those things, or if they are talking about deeper issues, but given what they were risking, there had to be something there. Not to mention that the governor of the state was not happy with Wolfe, it surprised me when he openly criticized him.
OK, now they (the advocates) are starting to lose me.
- We want Tim Wolfe to admit to his gross negligence, allowing his driver to hit one of the demonstrators, consenting to the physical violence of bystanders. --not a real issue, unless the driver ran over somebody.
- We demand that the University of Missouri meets the Legion of Black Collegians' demands that were presented in 1969 for the betterment of the black community. --1969? Might as well ask for the '40 Acres and a Mule' promise to be fulfilled.
- We demand that by the academic year 2017-2018, the University of Missouri increases the percentage of black faculty and staff campus-wide to 10%. -- A legitimate matter, but not as easily resolved as the protesters believe.
- We demand that the University of Missouri composes a strategic 10 year plan by May 1, 2016 that will increase retention rates for marginalized students, sustain diversity curriculum and training, and promote a more safe and inclusive campus. --Who is marginalized and by whom? Is U of M like Bob Jones University where Black students were not permitted to date White students? Is U of M a place where non-conformists are ridiculed?