'Dixie' no more: Utah Legislature votes to change Dixie State University's name to Utah Tech

Dixie State University is headed toward a name change, set to become Utah Tech next year after state lawmakers — some saying they were doing so reluctantly — finally passed legislation on Wednesday agreeing to the change.

There was some suspense ahead of a vote of the Utah Senate, the chamber that halted a proposal to change the name last year, but senators approved the measure 17-12, essentially ending what had been a two-year battle over the "Dixie" name and whether its past connections to the Confederacy and the Old South were holding the institution back.

Earlier in the day, the House of Representatives had approved the change by a vote of 56-14, with most members agreeing to House Bill 2001 after Rep. V. Lowry Snow, R-St. George, proposed an amendment was offered to make sure the school's main St. George campus would be called the Dixie Campus.

“How many students are you willing to sacrifice on the altar of the name Dixie?” asked Rep. Brad Last, R-Hurricane and an administrator at DSU, pleading with his fellow lawmakers to agree to the change.

Read more: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2021/11/11/dixie-state-become-utah-tech-after-utah-legislature-gives-approval/6355780001/
(St. George The Spectrum)