Black Mizzou players say they'll strike until president Tim Wolfe resigns

[wilsonbooks]

A group of black players on Missouri says it will stop participating in football activities until university system president Tim Wolfe resigns.

The announcement came via Twitter on Saturday night in a post by Missouri's Legion of Black Collegians. It comes after several recent racial incidents on Missouri's campus, and with Wolfe under fire for how he's handled them.

The tweet included a photograph of 32 black men, including starting running back Russell Hansbrough.

"The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe 'Injustice Anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere,'" the tweet read. "We will no longer participate in any football related activities until President Tim Wolfe resigns or is removed due to his negligence toward marginalized students' experiences. WE ARE UNITED!!!!!"



http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14078494/missouri-tigers-football-players-strike-embattled-tim-wolfe-resigns

[wilsonbooks]

1. Here is a bit more

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/06/black-grad-student-on-hunger-strike-in-mo-after-swastika-drawn-with-human-feces/



Columbia is a quaint college town. It is the home of the University of Missouri-Columbia, also known as Mizzou: the state system’s flagship and the first state university west of the Mississippi River. Every autumn, roughly 35,000 students — of whom 7 percent are black — from around the state swell the city of around 115,000. Some come from the left-leaning urban centers of Kansas City and St. Louis, each around two hours away. Others come from the conservative-leaning countryside.

Lately, however, this diversity has become divisive.

Butler says the problems began in Ferguson, about two hours east, but quickly made their way to Columbia. When white police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Brown on August 9, 2014, the incident shook the entire nation. But it also affected Columbia. Many Mizzou students come from the Ferguson/St. Louis area. Many others, including Butler, nonetheless drove to Ferguson to protest.

Butler was just starting a Master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis when protests erupted in Ferguson. He had attended Mizzou as an undergrad as well and liked it enough to stay.

[KelleyKramer]

2. Wow, there is a good chance that will work

Sounds like all other forms of protest have recieved little or no action (go figure)

But the football program is a huge money producer for the university and the state, you can expect a fast response to this.

Good for the protesters, hopefully they will remember where they have leverage and use it!

[trumad]

22. And it worked well!

Power to the Students.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

3. The hunger strike is incredible.

It was the swastika symbol done in feces that probably broke the camel's back.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

4. Headline: 32 Slots Open on Mizzou Tigers Football Team

If the players want to sit out a game in protest of alleged actions or inactions of the university administration, fine. But to say they won't play until the university president resigns is completely unrealistic.

I'm a UMC graduate -- B.J. '71 (yes, that's what they call a Bachelor of Journalism at Mizzou) -- and often was annoyed by the special treatment the football team received. I know football is a big money maker for the university, but there are less extreme methods to settle disagreements with the administration than hold the rest of the team hostage until they get their way. I'm not exactly sure what the players expected the university president to do under the circumstances, and what they think his successor will be able to accomplish.

The alleged events are reprehensible, but my experience at school was that the vast majority of students were there to study and party and get their degrees (this was when you could work your way through college and student loans were the exception and not the rule). There are assholes and racists in every part of life, and I'm certain UMC has its share.

For a bunch of football players to get the idea that they have more power than the other 35,000 students is the height of arrogance.

If they continue their "strike" the university should consider taking away their scholarships.

[Punkingal]

6. They do have more power...football brings in big money.

[trumad]

8. Sometimes things are just a little more important that football.

This may be one of those times.

[jen63]

19. Their coach is with them.

Good on him & them.

[marmar]

21. They've got a platform and they're using it.

More power to them.

[BillZBubb]

26. Yeah, take away their scholarships! Brilliant!

And then good luck ever again recruiting minority players. Mizzou can have the lily white team the racists want.

[Chef Eric]

27. He just resigned. I guess it wasn't "completely unrealistic" after all. nt

[Sienna86]

5. I applaud the players for their stand.

They are risking a lot for something they believe is important.

[Lulu Belle]

7. I wonder if the strikers

will also refuse to attend classes.
Oh wait, they probably aren't going to class anyway.

[trumad]

9. Prove that.

Prove that is happening.

Kind of a racist comment there.

[Lulu Belle]

10. How is that racist??

It's well known that football players are notorious for missing classes.
Their race doesn't matter. They all do it.
Personally, I think their team stinks, and their absence will have little effect on the outcome of their games.
The only difference will be that the team looses by a wider margin.
I do hope that the university doesn't cancel their scholarships though. I'm glad they have the guts to make a stand.

[Chef Eric]

20. "They all do it." Lovely. nt

[tazkcmo]

12. And you can link their attendance records?

You're icon stands in direct contrast with your broad brush insult. Are they not going to class because they're POC, athletes or football players? Or are you just mad because if you wanted to play football for the Corps, you'd have had to play for Navy?

[LanternWaste]

24. No doubt, we often need to advertise our inherent biases...

No doubt, we often need to advertise our inherent biases... even when our best is merely guesswork and unsupported allegations.

[wilsonbooks]

11. Mizzou is one of the best at student Athletes graduation rates.

FOOTBALL TEAM LEADS SEC

July 1 will mark Missouri’s first year in the SEC, and while 2012-13 hardly was a memorable debut for many of their teams, Mizzou athletes continue to excel in the classroom.
The NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate scores last week and four Mizzou teams had the highest score among their SEC peers and was led by the football program, which had its best APR score (982) since the NCAA began using the rating in 2004.

The APR is a team-based metric that measures the eligibility and retention for each athlete. The most recent scores reflect the 2011-12 school year.

MU’s football rating was seventh among Football Bowl Subdivision teams, trailing only Northwestern, Boise State, Duke, Wisconsin, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

Yes, ahead of Vanderbilt, the SEC’s smallest and only private institution, widely rated one of the nation’s finest schools.

As Mizzou gains its footing in the country’s most competitive football conference, its athletics department has embraced its role as an academic frontrunner.

“For us, we always wanted to be the best in the Big 12, and now we want to be the best in the SEC,” said Tami Chievous, MU’s recently promoted associate athletics director for academic services. “For us, our challenge now is to catch Vanderbilt. We want to catch Vanderbilt because they’re the leading academic institution in the SEC.”

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/mizzou-athletes-making-the-grade/article_2f349ec1-7d99-5497-8594-d31976306c8e.html

[loyalsister]

13. Here is a timeline leading up to it

Evening of Nov. 6: Protesters confront Wolfe in Kansas City
Student protesters with the group Concerned Student 1950 from both MU and the University of Missouri Kansas City met Wolfe outside a fundraiser at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. One student released a video in which the UM System president responds to the question, "Tim Wolfe, what do you think systematic oppression is?"

Wolfe says, "It's — systematic oppression is because you don't believe that you have the equal opportunity for success — "

The crowd of students reacts negatively, and the chatter is mostly inaudible.

Someone in the crowd yells, "Did you just blame us for systematic oppression, Tim Wolfe? Did you just blame black students —" before the video cuts off.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/racial-climate-at-mu-a-timeline-of-incidents-to-date/article_0c96f986-84c6-11e5-a38f-2bd0aab0bf74.html

I think the students would have liked to hear "I'm not really sure. Maybe we can have some more conversations so you can explain it to me."

I'm very proud of these students, especially these athletes who are as one student advocate put it "rebelling against the plantation." He hopes to see a realy national conversation about the nature of college sports and the role they play in oppression.

#ConcernedStudent1950

[TipTok]

15. If the President knows he is going to have to go...

... Watch for him to lay waste before he does.

Either way, it that the only reason they are demanding his resignation?

[loyalsister]

17. It's because he isn't taking any real responsibility

He has no clue what structural racism is and expresses no interest in learning. There's a lot more to it that has been bubbling. The athletes taking this stand know exactly how powerful they are. They know it's a huge deal to throw the entire southern conference off.

The student body is just 7% black, yet 58 of the school’s 84 scholarship football players are African American. There is no football team without black labor. That means there aren’t million dollar coaching salaries without black labor. There isn’t a nucleus of campus social life without black labor. There isn’t the weekly economic boon to Columbia, Missouri, bringing in millions in revenue to hotels, restaurants, and other assorted businesses without black labor. The power brokers of Columbia need these games to be played. Yet if the young black men and those willing to stand with them—and there are white teammates publicly standing with them—aren’t happy with the grind of unpaid labor on a campus openly hostile to black students, they can take it it all down, just by putting down their helmets, hanging up their spikes, and folding their arms.

http://www.thenation.com/article/black-mizzou-football-players-are-going-on-strike-over-campus-racism/

[loyalsister]

14. It's the whole team now

AND Coach Gary Pinkel a pic of all the coaches and players standing arm in arm with the tweet:

The Mizzou Family stands as one.
We are united. We are behind our players.
#ConcernedStudent1950 GP


http://www.stltoday.com/pinkel-s-tweets/image_c0e438c2-a32a-596c-a4a3-2c076018446d.html

And now we are hearing from Gov. Nixon....

"Racism and intolerance have no place at the University of Missouri or anywhere in our state," Nixon said. "Our colleges and universities must be havens of trust and understanding. These concerns must be addressed to ensure the University of Missouri is a place where all students can pursue their dreams in an environment of respect, tolerance and inclusion."

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/update-racism-and-intolerance-have-no-place-at-mu-gov/article_3516e764-8641-11e5-8c56-ffe1b1af615a.html#.Vj-X8Fi2eJI.facebook

That was fast!! These athletes realized their power and used it for good. AWESOME!!!

[Logical]

16. Asking for certain reforms to be implemented makes more sense. Not demanding they fire someone. nt

[loyalsister]

18. It didn't seem like it before but now he is the problem

He keeps distancing himself from his own behavior rather than admitting that he is part of the problem. It's very much like the deflection and equivication that comes from politicians who refuse to say "I was wrong and I keep getting it wrong."

"It is clear to all of us that change is needed, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into the sharing of concerns. My administration has been meeting around the clock and has been doing a tremendous amount of reflection on how to address these complex matters."

http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/news/leadership_news/110815_statement

He has one cheerleader in state government now. The republican Lt. Governor.

[Luminous Animal]

23. He does not have the confidence of the students and some faculty to provide the leadership

necessary to oversee and implement reforms. Here is a link to the list of demands:

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/mizzou-football/heres-list-demands-mizzous-protesting-athletes-students/

[BKH70041]

25. I've watched them play.

Believe me, they "stop(ed) participating in football activities" several games back.

[Lulu Belle]

29. Hooray!

Now they can lose games with their full compliment of players!
No excuses for yet another loss.

[deathrind]

28. I still don't see...

Just what the university president was supposed to do about unidentified people that he has no control over being jerks to others but if his resignation helps resolve the situation...ok. There has to be more to the story than just that because if not than this looks like it is just about getting someone fired for the sake of getting someone fired. As far as I have found this guy did not make any comments like Larry Summers did (who should have been fired that day for his remark).

If anyone has more info I would appreciate the link.