This past week you may have noticed that Ole Miss has been getting a lot of publicity. The student body held a vote deciding to, stay with no mascot on the field, or have a new mascot on the field. The students decided on the latter.

The most popular rumor has been Admiral Ackbar. If this happens, I’ll commence burning all of my Ole Miss paraphernalia including my diploma.

All kidding aside, I know that Ole Miss has a tattered past when it comes to race but the banishing of Colonel Reb and “From Dixi With Love” is borderline absurd. Historians have attributed the song “Dixi” to have been sung by pre-civil war African-Americans, and Colonel Reb was modeled after Blind Jim Ivy, a black man who was beloved by everyone around campus and was known as “the dean of freshman”. This was before desegregation and James Meredith in the early 60′s.

In my view, Colonel Reb is an homage to Blind Jim Ivy. Dixi and Colonel Reb are both integral part of the history of Ole Miss and should never be forgotten. If people would do a little homework and not rush to judgment, most of the arguments being tossed around out there would fall flat on their face’s.