Columbus Dispatch. June 21, 2024.
Editorial: The W and MSMS need citizen engagement
Until the 20th Century, nations at war suspended their campaigns during winter for practical reasons. Roads were crude and often impassable and armies traveled almost exclusively on foot. It was next to impossible to move large forces under those conditions. Wars did not end with the arrival of winter. They were merely paused to resume in the spring.
It is not too great a leap of imagination to liken those temporary ceasefires to the situation facing Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.
In this year’s legislative session, two separate bills were introduced targeting The W. One, which would have moved MSMS from MUW to Starkville and Mississippi State University, was amended to give control of The W to Mississippi State University, making the history school essentially a MSU satellite campus. Another would have created a task force to weigh the pros and cons of consolidating some of the state’s eight public universities, with MUW in the crosshairs of those discussions.
All of those bills failed, but reporting by The Dispatch revealed lawmakers intend to revisit the issues again next year. There is every reason to believe this fight is not over.
Each quarter, Mississippi University for Women hosts its Town and Tower Luncheon where university stakeholders, including the general public, can learn about topical aspects of the university. In most cases, these luncheons don’t attract many people without an official connection with The W.
On June 27, the topic at the Town and Tower Luncheon will be the past, present and future of MSMS. It will feature new MSMS director Ginger Tedder, Director for Academics Thomas Easterling and former faculty member Emma Richardson as the speakers.
It may be the most important Town and Tower luncheon in decades because the future of MSMS is intrinsically linked to the future of The W.
What both of these institutions will look like over the next few years is very much up in the air. Stakeholders and Columbus residents who value both schools’ presence need to be gearing up to make their voices heard.
This Town and Tower meeting is a good opportunity to meet representatives from both schools, as well as other citizens who want to be active on the issue.
Guests can register online in advance at longblueline.muw.edu/events/town-and-towe r. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to Anika Perkins with MUW’s Office of University Relations at (662) 329-7124 or email amperkins@muw.edu. The cost of the luncheon is $15.
When the fight resumes in January, MUW and MSMS as we know it will need all the support they can muster. Never underestimate the importance of an informed, engaged and active public.
Silence is often taken for consent, especially among lawmakers.
Simply put, if you want to preserve MUW in its present form and keep MSMS on campus – or if you want a voice in changes to the schools – you have a duty to make yourself heard.
Thursday is a chance to sign up for the fight.
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