at the Student Union, Sunday, March, 22, 2015. (DM Photo | Cady Herring)
Students gathered in the Student Union to make posters for Wednesday’s rally to protest the state’s Institutions of Higher Learning Board’s refusal to renew Chancellor Dan Jones’ contract.
“I felt betrayed,” said sophomore public policy leadership major Eloise Tyner. “I’m sure they had good intentions, but all I know is that it feels to me, as a student, like they took preference to politics over what’s best for the university.”
The event was organized by sophomore international studies major Alex Borst and senior public policy leadership major Ryan Felder. The words “I Stand with Dan” were boldly etched across multiple posters. Others were captioned with phrases such as “Dan the Man” and “My Chancellor, My Ole Miss.”
Borst explained his dissatisfaction with the IHL’s initial response.
“I think releasing a short, 20-30 word statement on such a big issue about our chancellor wasn’t congruent with what should have been released and how it should have been explained in the first place,” Borst said.
Felder concurred with Borst, saying the statement lacked transparency and answers.
Senior international studies major Talley Diggs said that the reinstatement of the University of Virginia’s president after protests has her optimistic about Chancellor Jones’ reinstatement.
“It’s happened in Virginia. It’s happened in North Carolina. I think it’s possible,” Diggs said.
A petition on change.org had received 6,040 signatures as of Monday night, and over 1,800 people had signed up to attend the rally. It was also posted on the group’s Reinstate Chancellor Dan Jones Facebook page that they had exceeded their fundraising goal by $2,000. Several speakers are scheduled to attend the rally, with an official agenda to be announced today.
