University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe will not resign
University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe will not resign, according to a statement the school released Sunday.
In the statement, Wolfe does not mention resigning or leaving his position as president. Protests on campus have called for Wolfe to be removed from his job after his handling of several racial controversies on campus. Sunday, the Missouri football team, with the support of head coach Gary Pinkel, announced it would not participate in football activities until Wolfe is no longer president.
“I am dedicated to ongoing dialogue to address these very complex, societal issues as they affect our campus community,” Wolfe says at the conclusion of his statement. In the statement, Wolfe describes a diversity and inclusion strategy originally meant to be announced in April 2016. According to Wolfe, a draft of the plan addresses many of the concerns of protesting students.
Missouri has had several controversial incidents in the past three months. In September, an African-American student said he was racially abused while walking, and the university did not address the incident for nearly a week.
• Missouri players on strike, call for president’s removal
In October, a student yelled the N-word at members of the Legion of Black Collegians. Later that month, someone smeared feces in the shape of a swastika on a bathroom wall.
Wolfe’s handling of the incidents drew protests from students. Jonathan Butler, a grad student, started a hunger strike Monday, calling for Wolfe to leave his job
Missouri next plays on Nov. 14 at home against BYU. The full statement from Wolfe is below:
- Rohan Nadkarni
