Dixie State University in Utah is considering a name change after a recent study found that the school’s name had a negative connotation and affected students and graduates looking for job opportunities outside the state.
The University Board of Trustees on Monday, based on a study commissioned by the university that examined the positive and negative effects of Dixie’s inclusion in the university’s name, recommended the Utah Higher Education Council change the institutional name, the university said.
The study also found that Dixie’s name hinders the university in other areas, including recruiting faculty and staff and building partnerships.
The name Dixie represents the school for more than 100 years and has a cherished meaning in St. In Jurgia, Utah, where the university is located. The Utah Dixie community has been nicknamed since 1857, when 38 families moved to the southwest corner of the state to establish a city and grow cotton, the university said.
But Dixie has different associations with people outside of southwestern Utah. The study found that the term “Dixie” had a negative connotation of slavery and confederation, and 45% of faculty and staff indicated that when they met others in their academic field, they assumed DSU was in the south.
"The point of this debate is one simple truth, the word 'Dixie' has different meanings," Williams said in a video released by the university.
The proposed change in the name of the university came after several entities removed a problematic term from their names this year after protests and a national debate on racial inequality following the death of George Floyd.
Earlier this year, the country music trio, formerly known as Dixie Chicks, changed their name to The Chicks, and New Orleans' oldest brewery, Dixie Brewery, changed its name to Faubourg Brewing Company. The new name is a tribute to various parts of the city, as faubourg (pronounced Fo-burg) is a French word that is often replaced by a new one in the Orleans neighborhood.
Miami and Dade County Commissioners in Florida voted to rename parts of Dixie Highway to Harriet Tubman Highway.
If the Utah Higher Education Council agrees with the university’s decision, it must ask the Utah legislature for permission to change the name. If approved by the legislature, the choice of a new name would begin, the university said.
إرسال تعليق