Emma Brown
Reporter & Managing Editor
While there is a sigh of relief now that the bill has died, the panic and upset the proposal of Senate Bill 2715 caused will not be forgotten.
Students were abuzz, phones were blowing up and alumni were wringing their hands on the morning of March 6, the morning after Bill 2715 amended that Mississippi University for Women merge with Mississippi State University.
The amendment came as a total surprise to everyone, and the atmosphere on campus was erratic and worried.
Andrea Stevens, president of The W’s alumni association, described the bill’s proposal as a punch in the gut. Stevens, who is the executive director of development and alumni, feels the shock as an employee of The W hearing input from coworkers, alumni and current or prospective students altogether.
“It was sickening to think that they had amended the bill the way they did at the very last moment,” Stevens said. “It was sickening, disappointing, disheartening and sad.”
Outrage, betrayal and shock seem to be widely shared emotions among the Columbus community, faculty and staff of The W, current students and thousands of alumni. Betrayal was the most immediate of the three when the proposal was announced because The W was unaware any amendment of this kind would be added to 2715.
If students were shocked, one can only imagine the disbelief The W President Nora Miller felt when she first heard of the amendment while donating blood on campus. No information, no inkling, no warning whatsoever.
President Miller was blindsided by the announcement and joked that she’d never hallucinated while giving blood before. She believes the amendment was unnecessary and poorly timed, especially since March is Women’s History Month.
The W’s higher-ups, especially President Miller, are still trying to find the reasoning behind this proposed merger and why elected officials felt that it was a good idea to attempt its approval.
“I have no idea because when the committee came up with it, I was completely shocked,” President Miller said. “We had not been asked anything about it. We had not been asked for any information about our programming or our mission compared to Mississippi State. It was totally out of the blue.”
Why was this amendment kept from the public eye, especially from President Miller? That seems to be a question that may never be answered.
However, many other questions came from this proposal, and there were concerns that the research was not well done or in line with what The W and MSU have to separately offer.
How would this bill affect The W’s representation? What would happen to The W’s infrastructure? Which departments would stay and which would go? What about the faculty and staff’s job security? What about prospective students? How would the absence of MSMS or The W affect Columbus?
As the fourth largest employer in Columbus, The W plays a huge role in Columbus’s economy. In a 2021-2022 report, The W added $175.5 million to the state economy and $97.9 million to the Golden Triangle, Noxubee and Macon economies.
More students coming to Columbus means more local spending, more travel into Columbus and a bigger overall boost to the local economy and well-being.
Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin is still troubled and confused that bill 2715 was proposed without long-term research. Even though the future is unpredictable, the thought of not having The W’s impact in Columbus would be especially damaging to the Golden Triangle’s economy. Mayor Gaskin says the bill is an unknown situation that did not have a long-term assessment.
“You don't know how that's going to affect the number of students who could potentially be living, shopping and spending in Columbus,” Mayor Gaskin said. “It would have as much impact just as if somebody tried to take the airbase away.”
The long-term effects The W’s absence would have on Columbus cannot be fully imagined since the two have only been apart for the 63 years between Columbus’s founding in 1821 and The W’s in 1884.
Another odd imagination to think of is the removal of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science from The W’s campus. The two institutes are heavily involved with each other, almost as bridging sister schools.
Bill 2715 began as a proposal to remove MSMS from The W’s campus to MSU. MSMS was founded by The W in 1987, so 36 years of being in each other's company has created a regulated, shared environment.
Following the bill, a concern arose from Columbus community members and parents of MSMS students- should high school students be placed in such a large college environment? Packed Saturday SEC gamedays, Greek life and other college activities are a lot to take in at a transitional time in high school.
President Miller, Mayor Gaskin and Stevens believe these certain college activities, what they referred to as temptations, were valid concerns from parents and guardians of MSMS students. They believe the close-knit community of The W is a better for MSMS students to continue their education, especially since a relationship between the two institutes has been established for nearly 40 years.
“We already have great synergy between MSMS and The W,” President Miller said. “They're in close enough proximity so that there are some things that are available to them on campus for what they're doing in STEM education.”
2715 died on the calendar before doing any serious damage by removing MSMS or ridding The W of independence. But the bill did bring about the 2024 bill 2725 which will study the efficiency of Mississippi’s eight public universities.
The W may be smaller in comparison to MSU or the University of Mississippi, but The W is backed by people passionate about continuing its mission in education and community.
There are concerns another fast one, such as 2715, could be pulled in the future. So, existential threats to The W have to be taken seriously, but that’s only possible with awareness and transparency from elected officials.
How could The W now put complete trust in officials after some legislators tried to make The W’s independence extinct? Backdoor dealing and secrecy are things the public will never forget politicians committing, and The W certainly won’t forget this bill.
As of now? Well, The W must remain vigilant and put its best foot forward in showing its historical and economic importance as the first public women’s college in Mississippi. That’s the starting point in maintaining independence and showing officials its worth to higher education, the state and history.