Chancellor Sean O’Keefe posted his thoughts on the purple-and-gold Confederate flag — sported by some Tiger fans during athletic events on campus — on the newly installed “Issues and Answers” section on his Web site Wednesday evening.
O’Keefe’s statement compares University faculty and students to a family that needs to do its best to create an “environment that is inclusive to all members of our family.”
O’Keefe said in an interview that the best way to address student concerns about the flag is to encourage dialogue of the issue among students on campus. Posting his stance against the issue is one method O’Keefe said he is taking to discourage the flag.
“We’ve had some constructive and productive conversations with students about the issue, but they have been informal so not all students know what steps are being taken,” O’Keefe said. “By posting my view on my Web site, we can draw more students into the dialogue.”
Jason Droddy, executive assistant to the chancellor, said O’Keefe has been thinking about students’ concerns about the flags since the issue was brought to his attention at O’Keefe’s first Chat with the Chancellor.
Droddy said that while the University cannot enforce a ban on the flags because a ban would violate the First Amendment, University officials will ensure that none of the University’s logos or trademarks are used in connection with the flag.
“We’re not going to drive through parking lots on game days telling people to take a flag down,” Droddy said. “But if we find out that someone is producing Confederate flags with one of our logos, they will be subject to legal actions.”
Brandon Smith, Student Government senate speaker, has spoken against the flags and said he is pleased O’Keefe has made statements denouncing the flag’s use.
“Having the Chancellor say something against the flags is a sign that we have gotten farther than ever before,” Smith said. “The administration hasn’t said anything about the issue before.”
Smith said the purpose of his fight against the flag is not to create legislation outlawing the flag.
“My desire was to open up dialogue among students about the flag and show them that some students take offense from the flag,” Smith said.
Mary Reynolds, a psychology junior who had relatives fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War, said she does not see the flag as offensive and disagrees with the idea that the flag is a racist symbol.
“I’ve lived in Louisiana all my life, and the flag is a symbol of my heritage,” Reynolds said. “It’s not a racist symbol, it’s a symbol of who I am, just like the German flag is a symbol of my German heritage.”
Smith said the flag deters the University from achieving the goals the administration laid out in the Flagship Agenda.
“Our University is trying to increase minority enrollment,” Smith said. “This flag is not helping us get there.”