Elected officials wade into controversial 'Dixie' debate

ST. GEORGE — With only weeks left before Dixie State College is expected to receive a new name and university status, elected officials in Washington County entered the fray Thursday with a strong vote in favor of keeping the "Dixie" in Utah's southwest region.

"The elected legislative bodies of the following political subdivisions located within Washington County, Utah respectfully request that the term 'Dixie' continue to be a prominent part of the new name for Dixie State College of Utah," reads a resolution passed by the Washington County Commission and the St. George City Council.

While "Dixie" stems from a traditional nickname for Washington County and the southwest region of Utah, many feel the word's historical connection to racism, slavery and the Confederate south would be misinterpreted in the out-of-state recruitment and research efforts inherent with university status.

But "Dixie" supporters, including the elected leaders of Washington County and St. George, say the word refers to the pioneering spirit of early settlers and should be preserved out of respect to their hard work and sacrifice to develop the region. 

"The continued use of 'Dixie' in the new name will demonstrate the importance of community history and the university's critical, long-standing ties with the many local residents who have generously supported and worked to develop it throughout its own history," the resolution states.

St. George City Councilman Jimmie Hughes said the resolution received unanimous support from the City Council. He said he doesn't understand why innocuous terms need to be avoided because of a potential connection to the Confederacy and compared the "Dixie" debate to a hypothetical scenario where southern Utah is referred to as "lower Utah" to avoid misinterpretation.

"I feel bad that people take offense from something that's not meant to offend," he said. "We don't have to get rid of anything that will remind us of the past."

The decision of what to name the new university ultimately falls on the Utah Board of Regents. Dixie's board of trustees will make a recommendation, after which the regents are expected to vote on both university status and a new name during their Jan. 25 meeting in St. George, according to Pamela Silberman, communications director for the Utah System of Higher Education.

The matter will then go before the Utah Legislature for final approval.

Silberman said Dixie has gone to great lengths to be transparent during its search for a new name and the regents will likely respect the trustees' decision.

"They've done a really great job at including the public in the process," she said. "It would be pretty unlikely that the regents would go against that recommendation."

In anticipation of the school receiving university status, Dixie officials partnered with a research firm to conduct an online survey asking the public for input in choosing a name for the new school. The survey was open to anyone and asked participants to rate words on whether they should be included in the new university's name. Among those words were "Dixie," "St. George," "Southwestern," "Washington" and "Utah."

The results of the survey will be presented at a public meeting Jan. 9 at the Avenna Center Cox Auditorium on Dixie's campus.

A statue of two confederate soldiers was removed in November from the area of the Avenna Center. It was the latest action by college officials to distance the institution from ties to the deep South, which included the removal of confederate flag imagery from campus and changing the school mascot from the "Rebels" to the "Red Storm."