It’s a good thing that Dean Colvard, and not Mark Keenum, was the president of Mississippi State University in March 1963.
Back then, if Colvard had shared Keenum’s philosophy one of the proudest moments in university history — now known as The Game of Change — would never have happened.
This week, during a visit to Ocean Springs, Keenum told students Mississippi State would continue to fly the state flag on campus even as sister institutions Ole Miss and Southern Miss have removed the flag — with its offending Confederate symbol — from their campuses.
Last month, interim Ole Miss chancellor Morris Stocks ordered the flag removed and put in the university’s archives, complying with calls for the flag’s removal from the student and faculty senates. A few days later, USM President Rodney Bennett ordered that the state flag be moved from its campus, as well.
It seemed natural, then, that Mississippi State, given its unique history, would follow suit.
But that isn’t going to happen, apparently.
“It is not my intent to step out and make any changes to the flags that are flying on our campus at this time,” Keenum said. “I think it’s important for us as a university community to be positive as far as change and not be critical of anything or the values of anyone in our state.”
In the next breath, he assured his audience, “I think it’s important … that we have symbols that unite us and not be divisive. That’s what I’m in favor of, and that’s what our campus community is in favor of.”
Keenum’s position on this is disappointing, especially as the president of the most racially-diverse of our universities.
The message: Mississippi State will sit on the sidelines on this issue, not because it doesn’t realize that the current state flag is offensive to many of its students, staff, faculty, community and alumni, but because, apparently, it just wouldn’t be “polite.”
We can’t help but compare Keenum’s attitude to that the one Colvard displayed 52 years ago when he defied the virulent segregationist Gov. Ross Barnett, who ordered that athletic teams of state universities could not compete against teams with black players.
Colvard did not seem to worry much about “being positive as far as change.” He did not seem concerned about “being critical of anything or the values of anyone.” He did not simply shrug his shoulders while offering a tepid acknowledgment of the wrong his state government was perpetrating.
Instead, at substantial personal risk, Colvard helped the Mississippi State men’s basketball team sneak out of Starkville to compete in the 1963 NCAA Tournament in East Lansing, Michigan, where the Bulldogs played Loyola, which had black players in its lineup.
MSU lost that game, but won the admiration of people throughout the nation who understood the powerful message Mississippi State had made. That act of moral courage was one of the university’s finest moments.
Fifty-two years ago, Mississippi State’s president acted courageously, decisively. His was a demonstration of true leadership.
In 1963, Mississippi State was a player in the Game of Change. Today, Mississippi State is a spectator.
You can “thank” Keenum for that.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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