What You Need to Know About #Mizzou

Supporters embrace each other following the Monday announcement that University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe would resign. (Halee Rock/Missourian via AP)

This is not an invitation for the HBCU vs. PWI debate. This is not a time for victim-blaming. My purpose for writing this piece is to simply inform you on the events that have taken place over the past few days at the University of Missouri.

Timeline of recent events at Mizzou 

Just so you know, racial tensions at Mizzou have been going on much longer than this past week. All year long there have been incidents like hunger strikes taking place on at the Columbia, MO campus. Here is a more detailed list of what has happened in 2015. Below is what has happened since Nov. 7, 2015.

November 7, 2015 - Black Mizzou football players begin to boycott against university president Tim Wolfe over his seeming unwillingness to hear student concerns about race.

November 8, 2015 - The entire football team joins in the boycott against Wolfe, including the coaches. Wolfe says that he will not resign.

November 9, 2015 - President Wolfe and chancellor of the university, R. Bowen Loftin both resign from office.

November 10, 2015 - The University appoints an interim vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity, and equity (yes that is the official title) in an attempt to smooth over tension.

November 11, 2015 - Students are scared to attend classes. MUPD catches Yik Yak suspect.

History of the University of Missouri 

The University of Missouri owes its existence to 900 citizens of Boone County who, in 1839, pledged $117,921 in cash and land to win the bid to locate the new state university in Columbia. This investment in the promise of a better future for all through public higher education made the University of Missouri the first public university west of the Mississippi River.

The “Normal College,“ now the College of Education, was established in 1867 to prepare teachers for Missouri public schools and enrolled the university's first female students. Women were admitted to all academic classes in 1871. 

Following World War II, MU's enrollment escalated, partially due to the GI Bill. It became fully integrated in 1950 when it opened its doors to African-American students.

Today, the Mizzou family is a community of 35,000 students, more than 13,000 full-time faculty and staff members, 267,000 alumni worldwide and countless friends who support the university.

Information taken directly from the University of Missouri's website.