INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Tim Wolfe Controversy: $459,000-Per-Year Earning University Of Missouri System President, Football Boycotts, Racism, And Jonathan Butler’s 7-Day Hunger Strike

By Paula Mooney
Published on: 11:38 PST, Nov 8, 2015

There’s a lot going on at the University of Missouri System. The hashtags #MizzouHungerStrike and #WolfeGottaGo are certainly buzzing on Twitter, with students and others reacting to what they say is the University of Missouri System president’s lack of a reaction to racist incidents on campus. Tim Wolfe is the president of the University of Missouri System, and he is being criticized for what some feel was Wolfe turning a blind eye to reports of a swastika in excrement left on a dorm wall. Other reports of students being called the N-word on campus, and a protest whereby black students were removed by police at Tim’s orders, are at the heart of the protest.

Wolfe’s salary for the 2014-2015 school year was $459,000, according to a report including salaries by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As such, students of all races are turning to social media to ask for Wolfe to step down, because they feel that Wolfe isn’t doing his job to protect all University of Missouri System students from hateful incidents – or at least to address them directly. Football players have gone on strike until Wolfe resigns, reports ESPN?.

Coach Gary Pinkel is being praised for tweeting the photo showing a united team, and for including the “Concerned Student 1950” hashtag, which represents the first year minority students were allowed in the school. As of this writing, the Twitter account of University of Missouri president Wolfe, however, is being criticized for not addressing the hunger strike nor the concerned students statements about recent racially charged incidents at the university.

The football players will reportedly not be involved in any football related activities until Wolfe steps down or is fired. A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was used to drive the point home.

“The athletes of color on the University of Missouri football team truly believe, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'”

The racial make-up of the University of Missouri’s student body is 77 percent Caucasian, and 7 percent African-American. Regarding the money-making football portion of the university’s system, a whopping 58 of the university’s 84 scholarship football players are black.

Despite all the drama and a hunger strike launched by Jonathan Butler, described as a “Liberation Activist” and “Human Rights Advocate” on Twitter, University of Missouri president Wolfe will not resign, reports Sports Illustrated?. The official statement as seen below from Twitter about Tim’s decision shows that Wolfe isn’t planning to leave his position as president of the University of Missouri System. Butler is willing to carry out his hunger strike until Jonathan’s life is lost, reports Heavy. Butler is in day #7 of his hunger strike as of this writing.

The fact that the University of Missouri football players will strike until Wolfe resigns or is fired is making the nation sit up and take notice, with upcoming games scheduled for the players.

It’s also causing controversy as at least one Confederate flag waving truck drove by the protestor.

(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

Share this article: Tim Wolfe Controversy: $459,000-Per-Year Earning University Of Missouri System President, Football Boycotts, Racism, And Jonathan Butler’s 7-Day Hunger Strike
More from Inquisitr