By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
David Ansley has resigned from the Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors, after he used a anti-gay slur during a board retreat on Saturday.
In a written statement Monday, Ansley apologized to students, faculty, staff and administrators for any offense, and expressed remorse for his actions.
“I have always thought of myself as a tolerant man,” he wrote. “Yet the fact that I spontaneously made the comment has caused me pause. Personally, I am conducting introspection. My goal is to examine my own prejudices with the hope of renewed tolerance. I hope to be a better person because of all this.”
A faculty adviser for a student group advocating equal rights on campus said Ansley’s resignation will not make the issue of sexual orientation discrimination disappear.
“He is now the cowardly lion, in my opinion,” said Hillary Fogerty, an English professor and adviser for the Equality Alliance at MSSU. “He’s saying, ‘Let’s avoid the issue entirely, and fall on the sword and pretend it’s not here.’ What will his resignation serve? Resignation is not education. It doesn’t solve the problem of other board members being willing to cover up what he said or to laugh at it.”
What happened
During Saturday’s retreat, MSSU Athletic Director Jared Bruggeman was discussing changes the athletics department has made to give a more consistent appearance, including revamping the school’s lion logo before the start of the 2007-08 school year.
Ansley voiced his approval for the change during the meeting by saying, “We went from the f-- lion to the ferocious lion.”
Board Chairman Rod Anderson immediately looked at reporters who were covering the retreat meeting at the university and said, “That’s off the record.”
The meeting continued for more than two hours before the board broke for lunch. At that point, the Globe approached Ansley for elaboration about his comment, and he apologized. He reiterated that apology Monday.
“I love this university,” he wrote in the statement issued Monday. “Disparaging it in any manner is unfair to each and every one of you. I have made many friendships while serving on the board. I hope my other contributions will be remembered and, in time take precedence over this mistake.”
Two other members of the board — Charles McGinty and Sherry Buchanan — said Saturday that they did not believe the comment should be reported in the newspaper. They were nearby while Ansley was speaking to a reporter.
The Globe reported Ansley’s use of the slur on Facebook and Twitter. The reports immediately sparked a public outcry, and a Facebook group calling for his resignation was formed.
Howie Lindeman, one of the creators of the group, said he thought Ansley should be accountable and resign.
“I’m very pleased that Ansley stood up and took responsibility for his comments,” said Lindeman, a nontraditional student at MSSU. “I think that speaks highly of his character. This is something that had the potential to distract from the university, and this is a time we need to unify.”
Reaction
A local organization that supports equal rights for gay and lesbian people welcomed Ansley’s resignation.
“Obviously he decided it was in the best interest of the college,” said Lee McDaniel, director of the Gay and Lesbian Center in Joplin. “I hope that when Gov. (Jay) Nixon appoints his replacement, that person will be more in tune with the issues and certainly more aware.”
McDaniel said he received several phone calls over the weekend about Ansley’s comments.
“Initially, parts of the community were very angry about it, that a public official would make such a statement in an open public meeting,” he said. “I think it was very cowardice of the person to suggest it was off the record. But those comments whether publicly or privately have the same result. As a public official, there’s a trust which I felt was violated.”
Ansley, a personal injury and medical malpractice attorney from Springfield, began his term on the board in 2004. He is a 1970 graduate of Missouri Southern and was appointed to the board by former Gov. Bob Holden. His term expired Aug. 30, 2009, but he continued to serve in the absence of reappointment or the tabbing of a successor.
Ansley said he had not reapplied for the position and had no intention of doing so.
“I am informing Governor Nixon that I am withdrawing from any further active participation as a board member, and have asked Governor Nixon to expedite the process to appoint my replacement,” he said.
MSSU president
MSSU President Bruce Speck said Ansley’s resignation was “of his own volition.”
“I don’t think there’s anybody on the board that approves of the comment, but I think we’re all saddened to see a person who served very well on the board to leave under this situation,” Speck said Monday. “Personally and professionally, I think it’s absolutely essential we treat people with human dignity. The university is a place where you acknowledge those differences, you analyze them and you discuss them. That’s part of what a university does.”
Anderson, the board chairman, said Ansley’s statement reflected remorse.
“It’s a shame because he was a good governor and a valued governor,” Anderson said. “It all boils down to he’s got the good of Missouri Southern State University always on his mind.”
Anderson also responded to criticism that he and other board members did not denounce the use of the slur during the retreat.
“I felt like the proceedings needed to go on, and the questions were going to occur whether we went on or whether we had a break,” he said. “Whether it was done right there, or at the break, nobody was leaving.”
Search
Scott Holste, a spokesman for Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s office, termed David Ansley’s use of the slur “inappropriate” and said the office will be seeking a replacement for Ansley. Holste did not give a timetable for when a new appointment to the board would take place.
