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Race On Campus, From Missouri To Yale And Beyond

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Race on campus. The University of Missouri President has resigned after protests. And that’s not the only campus in turmoil.

Jonathan Butler, front left, addresses a crowd following the announcement that University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe would resign Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, at the university in Columbia, Mo. Butler has ended his hunger strike as a result of the resignation. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Jonathan Butler, front left, addresses a crowd following the announcement that University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe would resign Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, at the university in Columbia, Mo. Butler has ended his hunger strike as a result of the resignation. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Campus turmoil in the heart of Missouri in the last week and more. And yesterday, the president of the University of Missouri system, resigning in a hail of protest over race issues and racism. A hunger strike in the heart of the flagship campus. Black students saying “no more” to racist taunts and a sense of second-class status. Players on the campus football team threatening to boycott this week’s Division I game. And boom, there is change at the top. It’s not the only campus in turmoil over race issues. This hour On Point, we’ll look at the tensions behind the uproar, and ask what now with race on campus.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Elizabeth Loutfi, editor in chief of the Maneater, the student newspaper at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia. (@Fleur_de_Liz720)

Kevin Blackistone, sports columnist at the Washington Post and visiting professor of sports journalism at the University of Maryland. (@ProfBlackistone)

Shaun Harper, founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. (@DrShaunHarper)

Naomi Collier, junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia and student activist. (@__highquality)

Alejandra Padin-Dujon, sophomore at Yale University.

From Tom’s Reading List

The Maneater: Wolfe announces resignation as UM System president — "University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe announced his resignation today amid growing racial tensions on MU’s campus. The announcement was made at 10 a.m. during a UM Board of Curators meeting. In his statement, Wolfe addressed the frustration of students and members of the MU community. He also acknowledged that a lack of communication 'forced individuals like Jonathan Butler to take…unusual steps to affect change.'"

Washington Post: How the Missouri football team just took down its university president — "That's the fourth point: There's huge long-term economic power in college football programs. The Tigers aren't having a great season, at 4-5 after four straight losses. They're still in contention for one of college football's countless bowl games, assuming they close the season strong. If they did make a bowl, the school would get some amount of money as a bonus. Last year, schools that played in even the least-known games got six-figure payouts."

City Journal: Racial hysteria triumphs on campus -- "The pathological narcissism of American college students has found a potentially devastating new source of power in the sports-industrial complex. University of Missouri president Timothy Wolfe resigned Monday morning in the face of a threatened boycott by black football players of an upcoming game. Wolfe’s alleged sin was an insufficient appreciation for the “systematic oppression” experienced by students of color at the university. Campus agitators also alleged that racial slurs had been directed at black students and feces had been smeared in the shape of a swastika in a dormitory."

This program aired on November 10, 2015.

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