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Missouri campus protests illustrate new trend for college millennials BY JESSE J. HOLLAND ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON-Few paid attention when a black student started a hunger strike at the University of Missouri to protest racial strife on campus. As soon as the football team sup ported that hunger strike by refusing to practice for or play in the school's lucra tive NCAA games, the uni versity's president and chancellor were forced out and changes were dis cussed. The stand taken at Missouri illustrates a new trend for college millenni als. Frustrated with what they perceive as insensitiv ity by school administra tors, they are taking then generation's penchant for social media protest to the next level: Using their on campus celebrity to pose a threat to the bottom line. ^They forced the administration to take the protest seriously, given the money that is generated via athletics. To say that you will not play on Saturday is tantamount to a major donor pulling their funds," said D'Andra Orey, a polit ical science professor at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Students have been organizing and protesting racial strife at universities all year - from a noose being found on Duke University's campus, to spray-painted swastikas and nooses at the State University of New York's Purchase campus, to a fra ternity video at the University of Oklahoma using a racial slur to describe how the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity would never accept black members. Last month, a popular marching band at Howard University, one of the nation's premier historical ly black colleges, wore all black during a halftime football show in a show of solidarity with students frustrated about financial aid and other problems. This week at Yale, stu dents took to the streets after an Oct. 28 university email warning about racial ly insensitive Halloween costumes prompted a pro fessor to complain that Yale and other campuses were becoming "places of censure and prohibition." But nowhere have stu dents been, able to force change like they have at Missouri, the state's flag ship university and a rela tively new member of one of the nation's premier football conferences, the Southeastern Conference. The student govern ment president reported in September that people shouted racial slurs at him from a passing pickup truck, galvanizing a weeks long protest movement by concerned students. On Nov. 2, with little fanfare, graduate student Jonathan Butler went on a hunger strike to demand the resig nation of university system President Tim Wolfe over his handling of racial com plaints. On Nov. 7, more than 30 members of the Missouri football team went on strike in support of Butler's protest, with sup port from their coach. That act got attention. A disruption of the Missouri football schedule - the Tigers play the Brigham Young Cougars in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday with at least two more games in the season - could have cost the school millions in revenue and penalties, not to mention negative publicity to out siders and potential recruits. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, and other law makers issued statements and the national media flooded the Columbia cam pus. Wolfe resigned, fol lowed hours later by the top administrator of the Columbia campus, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin. "It's much easier for them to ignore students that aren't in the public eye than for them to ignore those who are in the public eye," said Sarah Jackson, a com munications studies profes sor at Northeastern University. Protests on college campuses are nothing new, even during a year marked by a nationwide debate over police brutality. Universities and colleges are used to protestors going back to the Vietnam and civil rights era, and have developed methods to deal with objections. Institutions know they can offer to set up commit tees and discussion groups to bleed off the passion and publicity of student protest ers with minimal changes and negative publicity. But ?that approach doesn't work as well when applied to student athletes, band members and other school representatives who help bring much-needed public ity and funding to the insti tution. "Universities increas ingly care about the bottom line," Jackson said. "They care about students want ing to come to their univer sities." Putting financial pres sure on an organization is a tried-and-true pressure tac tic, said Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens in the next year. In the 1920s through the 1960s, civil rights organizers put together "Don't Shop Where You Can't Work" campaigns, organized sit-ins at lunch counters, and refused to ride in public transporta tion that forced blacks to sit in the back - including the famous Montgomery bus boycott. The goal was to change Americans' hearts and minds, but also to dam age the profit margin of discriminatory businesses. Bunch said. "Hurting the financial bottom line is a long tradi tion," he said. Michigan students stand in solidarity Wednesday, Nov. 11,2015, with University of Missouri protesters and students, in Ann Arbor, Mich. A march and rally offered a show of support to University of Missouri students whose protests led two top administrators to resign. Photo by Tevin Stinson A memorial service for Anthony White Jr. was held on the campus of WSSU on Thursday, Nov. 12. White was shot and killed on campus on Sunday, Nov. 1. WSSU reflects on the life of Anthony White BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE As evident by the kind words and hundreds who attended a memorial serv ice last week, Anthony White Jr. touched the lives of many on the campus of Winston-Salem State University. White, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 1, near a campus dormitory just a few hours after homecom ing festivities came to a close. Jarrett Jerome Moore has been arrested in the slaying. Political science profes sor Dr. Larry Little said he was emotionally unsettled by the news of White's death. "1 have never experi enced such emotional highs and lows than what occurred during homecom ing," he said. "I was so happy to see my former students, then I got that call on Sunday saying Anthony had been killed and I was messed up." According to Little, White was a student in his > civil rights class.and he was always one of the most pre pared students. "I really enjoyed hav ing Anthony in my class," he continued. "TTiey say you don't question God but I do, because he should be here today, but as the older people say, we'll under stand it by and by." During the ceremony a number of students recalled White as a person who was happy and always had words of encouragement for those in need. Anthony was the type of person who would give his last to make sure his friends and family had what they needed. "I spent I lot of time with Anthony and we talked about a lot of things," said a former roommate of White. "He was always happy, if he wasn't laughing or joking he was giving me or some one else encouraging words of advice." Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson said receiving news of White's death was one of the most difficult moments he has experi enced in a long time. "I haven't experienced this type of pain in a long, long time," said Robinson. "I don't think I've felt this type of pain since my father died." As he held back tears, Robinson encouraged stu dents to stay together, not just in times of mourning but in times of happiness as well. "These are the moments when your humanity comes out," he continued. "Anthony's message is to each one of us, and that message is life is a gift, and what we do with our gift is totally up to us." He didn't know White personally but, by speaking to students and professors, Robinson said he knows White was a determined individual who was proud to be a part of the WSSU family. Following of the cere mony, a number students said White will forever be In their hearts, and they will take his memory with them when they walk across the stage to get their degree. Have a Story Idea? Let us Know news@wschronicle.com WINSTON-SALEM Vsi/ Vouth Chorus i f Join usJor ?e I f Winter Celebration Concert " Winter Harmonies". te ^jSat., Nov. 21 ? 7:00 pm ^^A^mK^aptisty 501 Miller St* timrnr fcg|ME Director - Dr. Sonja Sepulveda IJ^^^Sccompanist - Lauren Winkelraan * Interested in joining the Auditions December 7, 8,9 Call or visit our website for details IR4A^~ (D ^saaa, I * (WW! SA L EM * TVS D P.. I he HawihorncJ^. Ian k Ctmktfet n tmm mmwm Q
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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