Ole Miss Flag: Confederate Flag Emblem Sparks Removal Protest

We hope the administration will recognize the desire of the student body and take down the flag as soon as possible, and that Mississippi legislators will once again consider redesigning the state banner. “We’re seeing people across the state saying this (flag) is not representative of us as Mississippians”.

According to its website, the Faculty Senate “approved the passage of a joint resolution with the Associated Student Body Calling for the University to Cease Flying the Current State Flag of the State of Mississippi”.

The resolution which passed Tuesday 33-15 with one abstention has already received support from the Ole Miss Staff Council who released a statement reading in part, “as the state’s flagship university, we must lead and stand as an example of what an inclusive institution of higher education should be in our great state”. He said that “the Confederate emblem that’s on the state flag is deeply connected and rooted in ideas of white supremacy and racial oppression, and that symbol has no place on our campus”.

Additionally, the resolution says the “symbol in question on UM’s campus undermines efforts to promote diversity and create a safe, tolerant academic environment for all students”. Interim Chancellor Morris Stocks, who has shown support for a new sate flag, said he will discuss the issue with his leadership team before taking any action.

South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from state grounds earlier this year in the wake of a deadly shooting at a historically black church. Jeffrey Vitter has been named the board’s top candidate for the permanent job, but wouldn’t begin until February if selected for the post. However, Vitter did not mention anything about the Mississippi flag’s removal.

Three identical ballot initiatives are in the works, meanwhile, that seek to keep the Confederate battle emblem on the flag. Ole Miss is betraying the state of Mississippi, they said. They say the titles, which are a description of the measures that would appear on the ballot, are confusing.