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National

Recordings Reveal Final Days of Nixon White House

Almost a decade after Richard Nixon resigned, the disgraced former president sat down with his one-time aide and told the tale of his fall from grace in his own words.

Biz Roundup

JRA Restarts Convention Center Bids, Gannett Splits, MUW Business Grant

Gannett Co. Inc., parent company of The Clarion-Ledger and many other media outlets, announced today that the company will split into two separate publicly traded companies, with one controlling Gannett's …

World

Israel-Hamas Truce Sets Stage for Talks on Gaza

Israel and Hamas began observing a temporary cease-fire on Tuesday that sets the stage for talks in Egypt on a broader deal on the Gaza Strip, including a sustainable truce …

Personhood

Judge: Ala. Abortion Clinic Law Unconstitutional

A federal judge says an Alabama law restricting abortion doctors is constitutional.

World

Ukrainian Soldiers Cross Border into Russia

A Russian border security official said Monday that more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have crossed into Russia, although both sides gave conflicting accounts as to why they had decided to …

City & County

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

State

Ole Miss Taking More Steps for Racial Diversity

The University of Mississippi, which has long struggled to distance itself from plantation-era imagery, is renaming a street known as Confederate Drive and adding historical context to Old South symbols …

August 1, 2014

Report: Ole Miss Should Rethink Symbols, Create Top Diversity Post

By R.L. Nave

Today, University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones released the following recommendations regarding diversity and inclusion:

Action Plan on Consultant Reports and Update on the Work of the Sensitivity and

Respect Committee

To: All Who Love The University of Mississippi

From: Dan Jones, Chancellor

Aug. 1, 2014

In the summer of 2013, an expanded Sensitivity and Respect (S&R) Committee

completed its review of the university’s environment on race and related issues.

Following the committee’s report, two consultants with relevant experience at major

universities were assigned separate but complementary tasks. One was charged with

evaluating the University of Mississippi’s organizational structure related to diversity and

inclusion, and the other explored issues the committee raised concerning building names

and symbols. (Both consultant reports are attached.)

We are grateful for the good work of the S&R Committee and our independent advisors.

Consultants Ed Ayers and Christy Coleman have been leaders in Richmond, VA, in

establishing a more balanced view of history for that community, where symbolism has

been a prominent topic. Their recommendations encourage us to broaden the visible

symbols of our history to be more intentionally inclusive. Greg Vincent offers insight

about our organizational structure out of his own experience reorganizing the approach at

the University of Texas, where they adopted several time-tested practices implemented at

other flagship universities, including creation of a new senior level leadership position

with a focus on diversity.

Both of these reports are candid in suggesting that more can be done here to improve our

environment for diversity and inclusion. Both also note the good work and positive spirit

for continued progress in our university. Our success in improving diversity within our

faculty and student body has been dramatic, but we can do more. And despite negative

publicity related to recent bias-related incidents, it is good news that the number of

minority applicants to the university continues to increase each year. In addition, the

improvement in diversity within our faculty has been extraordinary, placing us among the

top three flagship universities in the nation in percentage of African American faculty

members. Still, we can and will do more.

It is my hope that the action plan outlined here – reflecting the hard work of the S&R

Committee and our consultants – will prove valuable in making us a stronger and

healthier university, bringing us closer to our goal of being a warm and welcoming place

for every person every day, regardless of race, religious preference, country of origin,

ability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or gender expression. We know that the

issues discussed here are associated with many evolving attitudes and opinions. There

were and will continue to be differences of opinion among us. But I am encouraged that

while our discussions over recent months were frank, even tough, they also were civil and 2

…

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