Oxford, Mississippi – October 8, 2017
I am not sure what fantasy world University of Mississippi Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter lives in where 3,300 votes out of a student population of 24,000 constitutes a “mandate.” It must be the same fantasy world he was living in when he announced that stopping the Ole Miss Band from playing “Dixie” and removing the flag of the state of Mississippi from the campus would make the football team better and allow us to win championships.
The administration colluded with Associated Student Body (ASB) President Dion Kevin III to move forward this mascot “vote” without getting permission from the elected ASB senators. Despite buying advertisements on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and emailing the link-to-vote to every UM student, only 3,300 students voted for the Landshark. Meanwhile, the Colonel Reb Foundation garnered 2,400 student signatures on a paper petition to add Colonel Reb to the vote by simply walking around campus. This petition was denied, even though it met the requirements of Article 6, Section 2 of the ASB Constitution that allows a petition of 10 percent or more to be submitted to trigger a student-wide referendum.
Chancellor Vitter does not care about the opinions of his students, and he will continue to implement his agenda to get rid of traditions until Ole Miss is unrecognizable. Despite the fact that the administration and Mr. Kevin have denied our constitutional rights, the Colonel Reb Foundation will continue its 15-year fight to reinstate the true mascot of Ole Miss and the other traditions that have been denied Rebel faithful.
Wess Helton is a junior international studies major in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. He is from Lexington, S.C.