The name-change controversy at Dixie State University erupted again this year after the Black Lives Matter protests began. Many current students, including Siara Roberts, Elizabeth McQuarrie and Ivan Garcia, favor a change.
“I think Dixie State should change their name because as we’re applying for jobs in the future, our ethics won’t be questioned,” Roberts said.
“I think we should change the name to make sure everyone feels included at Dixie,” McQuarrie said.
“I feel like this generation needs a change, and the change having to do with changing the school name. I feel like it’s going to be a positive impact,” Garcia said.
The word “Dixie” is controversial because of its connection to the confederacy and slavery.
But the school is under intense pressure from many community members and alumni who want to keep the original name and say that “Dixie” simply honors the state’s pioneer heritage.
Tasha Toy is Dixie State’s chief diversity officer and said she is neutral about the name change.
“I’m originally from Georgia and I’m an alumn of a school in North Carolina,” Toy said. “My personal introduction and interaction with the name ‘Dixie’ is very different than what I’ve learned once I moved here and actually assumed the position and then lived in Dixie’s Utah.
I’m neutral because I do see and understand that there are two sides to the coin, where it means one thing one way and to another group of individuals it means something completely different.”
To give your feedback about the name change visit umac.dixie.edu.
