The word "Dixie" has diverse meanings; it might be innocuous to some, but offensive to others. A bill has just been created to change the name. Photo by Misha Mosiichuk.
Rep. Kelly Miles, R-Ogden, a member of the House of Representatives in Utah, filed a bill (H.B. 278) Feb. 1 to change Dixie State University’s name.
The bill “requires a process for the [DSU] Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Utah Board of Higher Education, to select and recommend a new name for the institution to the Legislature.”
There will be a hearing before the House Education Committee Feb. 3 at 3:40 p.m. where the committee members will discuss the bill and vote on whether or not to recommend it to be heard on the House floor, said Michael Cunningham, Rep. Bradley Last’s (R-Hurricane) assistant.
An email sent by Defending Southwestern Utah Historical Coalition states: “Even if the Bill gets passed at the committee, it does not mean that the Bill has been approved. It must still go to a vote of the House of Representatives and then to the Senate.”
