The Iowa State student government is officially opposed to the potential addition of BYU to the Big 12.
The student government passed a resolution 21-6 Wednesday night that disavows BYU’s candidacy on the basis that the school’s “discriminatory policies and practices are inconsistent with the values of the Big 12.”
The reasoning stems from BYU’s honor code. The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints school’s honor code bars “sexual relations” between members of the same sex and “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings.”
Patwa introduced the resolution to the Senate by citing an anecdote to Jack Trice, the first African-American athlete at Iowa State College. Trice died following a football game against the University of Minnesota in 1923, after sustaining injuries during the game.
“[It is] widely accepted that the attack on Jack Trice was racially motivated,” Patwa said, further referencing that by passing this resolution that it’s time Student Government “take a stance to what we believe in.”
Vice Speaker Conner Tillo furthered the debate, arguing that it’s their [Student Government’s] responsibility to advocate for their fellow Big 12 Universities.
The resolution will be sent to Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby as well as the presidents of all conference universities. The president of the student government association at ISU spoke out against the resolution during the debate and said “a number of” student-government presidents at other Big 12 schools didn’t feel ISU’s government should be taking a stand.
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Here’s the student government’s official statement about the resolution to the Ames Tribune:
“Student Government’s goal is to create a safe and all-inclusive campus where students feel supported to learn, grow and succeed. The Senate finds that Brigham Young University’s Honor Code does not communicate nor reflect the values that The Big XII Conference represents. Therefore, the Senate of Student Government does not support BYU’s membership bid to the Big XII at this time.”
The student government’s willingness to speak out is noteworthy, even if it won’t have much, if any, impact on the Big 12’s decisions to expand to 12 or 14 teams. The resolution is the first time an official anti-BYU statement has been made from a group with direct ties to a Big 12 school. LGBT groups have previously written to Bowlsby against BYU’s candidacy.
BYU is reportedly one of approximately eight teams who are on the Big 12’s short list for expansion. While the Cougars would certainly be a boon for football within the conference, its rule against playing games on Sundays could hinder scheduling for all other sports.
Central Florida is another school reportedly being considered by the Big 12. The Orlando airport tweeted about a meeting between the conference and UCF Wednesday morning, though the tweet no longer exists as of Wednesday afternoon.
Orlando airport shows support for UCF’s Big 12 bid in Dallas today – then deletes this tweet pic.twitter.com/m2fSSD1sv5
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 8, 2016
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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