Page 21 - MIN ON 16nov,2015
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U.S. NEWS A5
Monday 16 November 2015
Missouri student president: School has racism, also unity
SUMMER BALLENTINE Head said. Concerned Student 1950 member Ayanna Poole dances
Associated Press He said the event shook
COLUMBIA, Missouri (AP) him so much that he con- on top of a visitor information desk while local and regional
— When Payton Head ran sidered transferring to a
as a gay, black man for historically black college supporters chant and MU senior tour guide Sam Maassen,
student president at the that had offered him a
University of Missouri — a full scholarship. Instead, bottom left, watches during a “We Are Not Afraid” march in
school now known for one he stayed — motivated to
student’s hunger strike and push for change and so- Jesse Hall on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia,
other protests against the cial justice through student
administration’s handling government. Mo. (Daniel Brenner/via AP)
of racial bias and hostility He ran for Missouri Students
on campus — he promised Association president the black students, disabled til Nov. 6, days before stu-
to “ignite Mizzou.” next year. Head said he students and many others dents were to pick a suc-
“We’ve definitely done had been told he wouldn’t deal with discrimination cessor for Head. The elec-
that,” Head, a 21-year-old win because he’s black regularly. tions were rescheduled for
senior from Chicago who and at the time was not a He said his first meeting this week because of the
is studying political science member of a fraternity. To with Wolfe didn’t come un- upheaval on campus.q
and international studies, his surprise, he was elected
told The Associated Press. in what turned out to be a
Recent racist incidents, in- record-setting election for
cluding one directed at voter turnout.
Head, and the perceived “Students want change,
lack of response by admin- and students want an in-
istrators led to the hunger clusive campus,” Head
strike and a threatened told reporters Nov. 8 near
boycott by the football the campsite of the Con-
team. Tensions seething at cerned Student 1950
the school culminated ear- group, where he joined
ly last week with the resig- members in calling for
nations of University of Mis- Wolfe to step down. Wolfe
souri System President Tim resigned the next day.
Wolfe and Columbia cam- Head, who also has joined
pus Chancellor R. Bowen those students in protests
Loftin. and marches, has been
But despite the turmoil, both denounced and
Head is challenging a nar- praised for how he has
rative that has come to de- handled a difficult year.
fine the university as a hot- He said he’s received hate
bed of hate and racism. mail and death threats re-
“The actions of a few cently, mostly in response
members of our commu- to his criticism of the ad-
nity don’t speak for the ministration.
majority,” Head said. “The But Head added that he’s
problem is when we have also received “amazing”
an administration, we have support from students, with
leadership who continues some thanking him when
to send signals to these stu- they see him on campus.
dents that this kind of be- Maiya Putman, director of
havior will be tolerated on student activities for the
this campus.” Missouri Students Associa-
That “allows these inci- tion, said Head is gener-
dents to keep occurring,” ally “well-liked and well-re-
he said. ceived” by students, citing
Head has spoken out pub- his involvement in social
licly about his own experi- justice issues. She said the
ences with racism during past few weeks have been
his time at the university, hard on him and that he’s
most recently in Septem- handled the situation “the
ber. best way that he could.”
He faced a turning point “This has been a really tu-
his sophomore year, when multuous and challeng-
he said men in a pickup ing year,” Putman said. “I
truck yelled racial slurs at don’t know how anyone
him repeatedly as he was else would have been
walking to a party. He said able to handle everything
that was the first time he he’s gone through.”
had dealt with “blatant Head, whose term ends
racism.” in January, said it’s been
“It broke my heart, be- frustrating at times. He said
cause I was really trying to he’s tried to convey to ad-
find my place at Mizzou,” ministrators for a year that
