University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe issued a statement Sunday afternoon that gave no indication he was willing to step down from his post.
Many students have called for Wolfe's ouster after multiple racial incidents on the Missouri campus. The movement has spread to the football team. Saturday night Missouri football players said they wouldn't participate in team activities until Wolfe was removed from his position and on Sunday, coach Gary Pinkel posted a picture to Twitter of the whole team and coaching staff saying that he was behind his players.
Here's Wolfe's statement in full:
It is clear to all of us that change is needed, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into the sharing of concerns. My administration has been meeting around the clock and has been doing a tremendous amount of reflection on how to address these complex matters.
Clearly, we are open to listening to all sides, and are confident that we can come together to improve the student experience on our campuses. We want to find the best way to get everyone around the table and create the safe space for a meaningful conversation that promotes change. We will share next steps as soon as they are confirmed.
In conjunction with campus representatives, the university began work on a systemwide diversity and inclusion strategy, plan and metrics for the University of Missouri System as part of my strategic goals (see 1.4.i of the System Strategic Plan) as approved by the Board of Curators in summer 2015.
Our due date for announcing the strategy was April 2016, having allowed for multiple stakeholders (e.g., faculty, staff, students, consultants) across the system to provide input into the plan.
The majority of items listed on the Concerned Student 1950 List of Demands were already included in the draft of the strategy. While the student list provides more detail and more specific metrics than had been established in the UM System plan, we had anticipated providing specificity and detail to the plan over the coming months.
In the meantime, I am dedicated to ongoing dialogue to address these very complex, societal issues as they affect our campus community.
A graduate student is currently on a hunger strike until Wolfe is removed.
Missouri plays BYU on Saturday in Kansas City. If the team doesn't start participating in activities -- practice was canceled on Sunday -- the game could be in jeopardy. According to the Kansas City Star, the school would owe more than $1 million if the game was canceled.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) issued a statement about what's happening at the school as well Sunday afternoon. McCaskill has been outspoken about previous issues at Missouri and in college sports.
"At this point I think it is essential that the University of Missouri Board of Curators send a clear message to the students at Mizzou that there is an unqualified commitment to address racism on campus," McCaskill said. "As a graduate who cares deeply about Mizzou, I'm confident that my university can and will do better in supporting an environment of tolerance and inclusion."
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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!
