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Watch Mizzou President Tim Wolfe Resign

by Lindsay Mannering
Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images News/Getty Images

After assuring students, student-athletes, professors, administrators, and the media on Sunday that he wouldn't resign, University of Missouri president Tim Wolfe has resigned. The announcement came on Monday after an apparent change of heart overnight. Wolfe has been widely criticized for his inaction and mishandling of racially charged incidents on campus — a student yelled the n-word at a group known as the Legion of Black Collegians, and a swastika was smeared in human feces on a bathroom wall. Students weren't being heard. The football team boycotted. The faculty protested. Students went on hunger strikes. And on Monday, video of Wolfe's resignation from his post as university president has a lot of people talking, for good reason.

Sunday's statement was steadfast and laid out an acknowledgment of the issues on campus, and expressed Wolfe's commitment to improving them. The last sentence read: "I am dedicated to ongoing dialogue to address these very complex, societal issues as they affect our campus community."

But on Monday, well, things changed: "I take full responsibility for the inaction, and I take full responsibility for the frustration that has occurred." Wolfe concluded, "Please, please use this resignation to heal, not to hate, and let's move forward together for a brighter tomorrow."

Mostly, people were happy with Wolfe's resignation.

Wolfe's resignation is the first step on a very long road toward healing, but it is, still, a step.

Image: Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images