Prospects for renaming Mississippi University for Women may have hit a fatal snag Wednesday.
Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Columbus, reported after a meeting with House Universities and Colleges Committee Chairman Kelvin Buck, D-Holly Springs, no bills concerning a name change would come out of committee.
“All House bills pending right now will not be considered by committee,” Smith paraphrased, noting Buck says there is a lack of concern in the House over the issue.
“That is pretty much the case,” Buck said this morning. “Based on consultation with (representatives), none are prepared to go on the record to support (a name change). If the entire delegation is not willing to stand up, it will be difficult for me to bring out a bill that I know is going to get beat up.”
Sen. Doug Davis, R-Hernando, has proposed Senate Bill 2702 to the Universities and Colleges Committee to allow the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to change MUW”s name. Smith says the Senate bill may pass out of committee and be sent over to the House committee for consideration. But Buck says a Senate bill would meet the same fate as a House bill.
“Again, there would be a situation where I wouldn”t be able to move it forward,” he said.
MUW President Claudia Limbert, who endorses changing the school”s name to Reneau University, said Buck”s decision was news to her.
“I talked to Kelvin this morning and that never came up in the conversation at all,” Limbert said, Wednesday.
She says a name change, which is supported by community leaders such as the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link, is vital to MUW”s future. A non-exclusive name, she says, will attract more students.
“If you had a restaurant and 97 percent of people coming by didn”t like the name on the sign, I think you”d change your name pretty fast. Ninety seven percent of students are not even giving us a look,” said Limbert.
Prior to Monday”s deadline for introduction of general bills, Smith submitted House Bill 909 calling for the authorization of the IHL board to change MUW”s name.
Smith says he isn”t a supporter of MUW”s suggestion of Reneau as the school”s new name because it”s not “gender neutral” or “marketable,” but he wants to resolve the issue. He says controversy over the school”s name is a contributing to support for Gov. Haley Barbour”s recommendation MUW be merged with Mississippi State University.
MUW”s current Alumni Association and its disaffiliated original alumni association, Mississippi”s First Alumnae Association, have been engaged in a years-long debate over the name change. The groups have put the debate aside for the time being to unite as Friends of The W and fight the potential merger.
“The merger is being blamed on the economy but also the fight over the name change, the fight between the two alumni associations,” said Smith. “If we can eliminate one of the two problems the IHL board is seeing, hopefully talk of a merger would go away.”
He says IHL Commissioner Hank Bounds has expressed a willingness to take on the name change.
“Dr. Bounds had told some of us if we wanted the IHL to change the name they would take the ball and run with it,” said Smith. “They would probably try to name (MUW) after something such as a section of the state — something geographical or regional like University of Mississippi or East Mississippi Community College.”
Rep. Stephen Holland, D-Plantersville, had another suggestion. He introduced House Bill 243 which would change the name of MUW to Mississippi University for Women and Men.
“I appreciate the support, but all universities are for women and men,” said Limbert of Holland”s proposal.
Holland says he filed the proposal strictly to oppose changing MUW”s name to Reneau.
“I am not for closing The W, nor am I for changing its name. I wanted some idea in the hopper other than Reneau,” he said.
He acknowledges Buck has “come out pretty strong” against taking up the name change issue and any Senate bills which find their way to the House will be “dead on arrival.”
Proposed legislation concerning MUW
- Sen. Doug Davis, R-Hernando: Senate Bill 2702 to allow the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to change MUW”s name.
- Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Columbus, House Bill 909 authorization of the IHL board to change MUW”s name.
- Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven: House Concurrent Resolution 11 to amend the constitution to provide for a state university system state board of governors and local board of trustees.
- Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven: House Bill 692 to relocate the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Sciences on the MUW campus to the campus of the Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven.
- Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson: House Bill 599 to relocate the Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven to the MUW campus.
- Rep. Kelvin Buck, D-Holly Springs: House Bill 1054 to create an IHL committee to study funding to state universities and submit a written report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee every three years.
- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, D-Brookhaven: Senate Bill 2637 to merge MSMS from the MUW campus to the MSA campus in Brookhaven and turns administrative duties over to the State Board of Education.
n Sen. Doug Davis, R-Hernando: Senate Bill 2794 to merge the administration of MUW and MSU, name MUW a campus of MSU and consolidate duplicative programs at the schools.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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