The University of Mississippi’s National Pan-Hellenic Council, College Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council have all removed “Ole Miss” from their official names and instead are opting for “University of Mississippi.”
This decision was made independently from the Office of Fraternal Leadership and Learning (FLL) by student leadership, and comes before the results of the External Review Team are released spring 2020 to present an external review of the Greek community, according to the FLL website.
“I believe the external review will allow the Fraternal Leadership and Learning team to develop our strategic vision for the next few years in conjunction with all of our stakeholders,” said Arthur Doctor, director of the FLL.
Doctor added that the decision to remove “Ole Miss” from the Greek organizational names was a decision made independently from the FLL. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) made the decision.
“This was a student-led decision, and the Office of Fraternal Leadership and Learning respects the leadership of our governing councils to make decisions they feel will make a positive impact on their community,” he said.
IFC President Cole Barnhill said that this change focused on keeping their branding consistent with the FLL and the university at-large, which uses “University of Mississippi” name.
“The Interfraternity Council made a decision to change our social media handles to be consistent with the branding that is currently used by the Office of Fraternal Leadership and Learning, the logos we have on our website and other documents,” Barnhill said. “Our logos utilize the Lyceum branding for the university, and we felt that this created a more consistent image.”
However, the change is not a mandate to all fraternities and sororities within the three systems. IFC fraternities can still use the “Ole Miss” name and brand themselves as they choose.
Doctor said that with his work as the FLL director, he hopes to create a more inclusive Greek system that prioritizes inclusivity and engagement.
“I work very closely with my staff and student leaders to identify additional opportunities to engage more students within fraternities and sororities and to ensure that this is a place where every student feels welcomed, affirmed and respected, whether they choose to affiliate with a chapter or not,” he said.
