Remember last November’s student protests at the University of Missouri when the students joined in spirit with hunger striker Jonathan Butler, (the scion of a family whose father made $8.4 million in 2014) to brave the elements while they protested in the school quad?
They weren’t quite the suffering bunch they claimed to be, apparently; email correspondences from the University of Missouri’s (Mizzou) system server reveal that not only did they request generators for power to they could stay warm, but when that didn’t suffice, they actually asked for a fire pit.
The back-and-forth haggling among the administration shows how bullied some of the officials were, as the press harped on the protests. The wrangling began on November 6, four days after Butler initiated his hunger strike to protest supposed racial inequities. Chief Diversity Officer Noor Azizan-Gardner wrote, “The students tenting/demonstrating are asking for a generator for their campsite. Is there any way that we can help with this? Let me know if this is even possible.”
Gary Ward, the vice chancellor for operations and chief operating officer at MU, fired back within two minutes, “We got them power this morning.”
Four hours later, Azizan-Gardner sent another email, this time copying Chancellor Bowen Loftin:
I just heard from the students that they have one power strip with 8 outlets on it and it’s connected to one of the power sources on the quad. The students are concerned that they may trip the circuitry if they overload it. So, they have texted me that they need to have more power outlets and/or a small generator so that they can have heat and refrigeration this weekend. Please let me know how we can provide this for them.
Ward, frustrated, answered:
That is all we have and I had folks come in first thing to get that. I am very concerned with providing a gas generator for safety concerns. That also requires us to have a person come in and keep them in gas. I very much appreciate our students and their right to protest but they are right now killing grass and putting stakes in the ground where we have underground sprinkler system. No other group or individual have been allowed to set up home on our quad. Typically when a tent request comes in the request needs a [procurement code] to pay for all the associated expenses. I request they move off our quad that many of our folks have worked very hard to make enjoyable for the entire university community. It really was not designed for a campsite.”
A discussion ensued among administrators as to how to resolve the protests; one participant pointed out the media coverage the university was getting due to the protests, prompting Loftin to tell Ward “that we handle power by providing a generator of our own or access to more power from campus.”
Ward answered, “Will do,” but within an hour, sent Loftin another missive: “The generator is set up. They want a fire pit.” Ward rebuffed that request, instructing the protesters to file for a permit.
Meanwhile, one protester, DeShaunya Ware, stated, “I wanted to be there to let (Butler) know that he doesn’t have to go through this alone. So while my body may not be able to go on a hunger strike, I’m committed to change just as he is.”
“The generator is set up. They want a fire pit.”
Gary Ward, the vice chancellor for operations and chief operating officer at MU
The protests catalyzed the resignation of the university president, Tim Wolfe, as well as Loftin. Interim Mizzou chancellor Hank Foley said later that the negative attention on the university triggered a $32 million budget shortfall and a drop of 1,500 in student enrollment.
The students’ claims of racist incidents were largely debunked, as seen here.