Some say Utah’s Dixie State University should reconsider name as Confederate flags come down

SALT LAKE CITY – Amid moves to take down Confederate flags nationwide, some say Utah’s Dixie State University should re-open a discussion about changing its name.

Professor Dannelle Larsen-Rife says the name Dixie can have racist associations for people and changing it would improve the school’s image.

A group unsuccessfully pushed for a new name when the school attained university status two years ago.

Larsen-Rife says the issue merits another look after the killing of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina renewed calls to remove the flag.

The university’s name dates to the 1800s, when Mormon settlers tried to make the region a cotton-growing mecca. Supporters say the name is important to the area’s history and isn’t connected to racism.

Dixie State spokesman Steve Johnson says school officials aren’t considering changing the name.

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