OXFORD, MS-- Tempers are flaring all over the Ole Miss campus. They're fighting over a fight song.
The school's chancellor says the band must stop playing "From Dixie With Love" because of a chant students added to the lyrics.
'No love for Dixie' read the headline Wednesday on the Ole Miss student newspaper. School leaders pulling the piece from the marching band's playlist is something everyone on campus is talking about.
“I don't want my freedom to be suppressed. I want my first amendment rights, please” says student Kate Jones.
“It is part of southern history” says student Michael Tucker. “Anytime you remove anything from a part of history, it's not going to be good.”
“I think that it's a good thing so that racial tensions don't flare up” says student Keandra Johnson. “We can just be at peace at school.”
There is quite a range of opinions over the song "From Dixie With Love.” It blends the Confederate army's fight song with the Union army's battle hymn, but it wasn't the tune's lyrics that struck a chord with school leaders. It was the chant some students yelled during the song.
“The students who chose to say "The South will rise again" killed the tradition” says Dean of Students Dr. Thomas Reardon.
Reardon says there were several warnings to stop the chant. When it continued at a game last weekend, that was the final straw.
“That does not convey who we are” says Reardon. “It also does not convey the progress we've made as a university or show any respect to the people who have made tremendous sacrifices to bring us where we are.”
This decision isn't permanent. The chancellor has said he's willing to bring back "From Dixie with Love" if the student body is committed to stopping the chant.
