"...students are not able to achieve their full academic potential because of the inequalities and obstacles they face. In each of these scenarios, Mr. Wolfe had ample opportunity to create policies and reform that could shift the culture of Mizzou in a positive direction but in each scenario he failed to do so."

“Wolfe verbally acknowledged that he cared for Black students at the University of Missouri, however he also reported he was ‘not completely’ aware of systemic racism, sexism, and patriarchy on campus, not understanding these systems of oppression therefore renders him incapable of effectively performing his core duties.”

This past Monday morning was the start of a hunger strike for Jonathan Butler, an activist and graduate student at the University of Missouri. But it was not the beginning of his protests against administrationButler, also a member of the MU Faculty Council's race relations committee, sent a letter to the UM System Board of Curators at 8:29 a.m. on Monday, which he later tweeted out to the publicWithin the letter, the activist vows to quit consuming food (or anything except for water) despite its impending detriment to his health, until the University President Tim Wolfe is removed from his position or until "my internal organs fail and my life is lost." So what sparks this level of protest, where a student is willing to sacrifice his life? Butler states in the letter above:Many incidents are outlined in his letter, including black students being called racial slurs on campus (including the student-body president and the Legion of Black Collegians Royalty Court members during homecoming ), the university cancelling Planned Parenthood contracts, graduate student health insurance subsidies being removed earlier this semester, and even an incident last week that involved a swastika drawn with human feces found in a residence hall on campusBut this isn't Butler's first protest by any means. Just last month he and the others involved in the student group Concerned Student 1950 (1950 was the year MU admitted its first black student) protested during the annual homecoming parade by standing in front of President Tim Wolfe's car, chanting, sharing history about the university's treatment of black people and making speeches to the crowd. Although there were some supporters in the parade crowd, other onlookers instead shouted the University's "MIZ-ZOU" chant to drown out the protest groupConcerned Student 1950 released a list of demands and later met with Tim Wolfe to discuss them, but the group says he didn't agree with any terms. In a statement they released after the meeting they said:Students on campus have also called out the University Chancellor because he, too, has a say in how campus relations are handled, but Butler has acknowledged that the chancellor is "more willing to understand how systems of oppression, how racism and all these things work." He doesn't see that same willingness to learn from WolfeOn Monday evening, Tim Wolfe released the following statement by email, essentially defending himself and saying he hopes that Butler will protest in a different manner: