COLOMBIA – A few weeks after the judicial elections ignited racial tensions in the state, a disputed dispute for a seat on the board of trustees at the University of South Carolina threatens to aggravate the issue, as some lawmakers have criticized efforts to remove one of the only trustees black people from your post.
Alex English, a Columbia native who became Gamecocks’ greatest scorer ever before a 15-year career in the NBA Hall of Fame, was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster in June to serve on the occupied USC board. by William Hubbard, who left after being appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law.
English is trying to win a full four-year term on the board in the March 3 legislative elections, but faces competition from Robert Dozier, a top executive at First Reliance Bank, and Kevin Hunter, an Irmo businessman.
The dispute has become increasingly tense over the past week, while some lawmakers have worried about the implications of removing English, one of the only two black curators on the 20-member board of the USC, along with Rock Hill attorney Leah Moody. Dozier and Hunter are white.
South Carolina’s population is 27% black, while the student body on the USC’s main campus in Columbia is less than 10% black.
The dispute for the USC council comes just weeks after the only four black candidates in the Legislative’s two dozen legal disputes lost to white opponents, sparking black lawmakers’ outrage over the lack of diversity on the bench.
They were particularly upset by the defeat of Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin, wife of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, in his offer for a promotion to the appeals court after the race became unusually partisan after attacks by a conservative group led by the former – Republican government candidate John Warren.
State Senator Darrell Jackson, one of the lawmakers who expressed disappointment at the outcome of the legal disputes, said English’s defeat would be even worse because of how iconic he is in the USC community, especially for black students and alumni who don’t even always felt welcome on campus.
“If he loses, it will be one of the most embarrassing things I have experienced since I am here,” said Jackson, D-Columbia, who has served in the Senate for nearly three decades.
To understand what English means, Jackson said, lawmakers need to think about the significance of their 1972 decision to study at USC.
Jackson was a freshman at Columbia’s Dreher High School at the time English graduated amid racial unrest and concerns about how USC was treating black students.
“He could have gone somewhere else, and many people felt that he should have gone somewhere else,” said Jackson. “But he went there because, for him, it was bigger than basketball. He was an ambassador for the USC, the city of Columbia and South Carolina throughout his adult life.”
Like many other English fans, Jackson said he likes Dozier and believes he would be a strong candidate for a seat on the USC board any other year, but said he told him that this race is “bigger than him”.
English is in his second stint as curator after serving four years as governor Jim Hodges’ nominee from 1999 to 2003. He worked as an assistant coach in the NBA and as director of player programs for the National Basketball Players Association. He also operated Wendy’s restaurants in Columbia.
Dozier also spent two years on the board of the USC as president of the school’s alumni association. He voted against hiring Bob Caslen, a retired Army general who ruled West Point, as president in 2019. Some curators did not like how the search focused on Caslen and included Governor Henry McMaster’s lobby for the general.
Prior to joining First Reliance Bank, Dozier was executive vice president of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and ran a Columbia-based mortgage company.
In an interview with the Post and Courier, English said he thinks lawmakers should take race into account in light of the university’s struggles with diversity and recent efforts to resolve them.
“I think I bring a different perspective, I bring diversity, I bring a person who loves his university and wants him to be the best we can be, and I am very excited about the future and what we can do” English said, adding that he is impressed with Caslen’s efforts at the university so far and wants to help him move forward.
Part of the controversy in the race stems from the efforts of some students on campus to rename the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center on campus.
The building takes its name from the former United States senator and governor of South Carolina, who ran for president in 1948 on a platform that opposes the civil rights of African Americans and continually maintains related legislation in Congress. Thurmond would later change his view of race.
English expressed support for the tweeting effort last year that was signing a petition to rename the building. The effort also won the support of prominent figures such as women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and former team star A’ja Wilson.
But English said he does not think this is a problem that lawmakers should take into account, because he is more focused on making general improvements at the university, such as reducing tuition costs and increasing diversity.
“At the moment, this is not a priority for me and it is not a priority for the board of trustees,” said English of the Strom building’s renaming. “It is a problem that the students are having and it is something that, when the time comes to speak, I think we will have a good debate about it. But I hope it is nothing that affects me.”
Even if the board of trustees voted to rename the building, the move would still require legislative approval due to the South Carolina Heritage Act, which requires a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate to rename historic monuments, streets and buildings.
Dozier declined to comment on the matter.
“We are in the middle of a very defined legislative process,” he said in a statement. “Out of respect for the process and the members of the SC General Assembly who make the final decision in disputes over curators, it is best for me to decline comments at this time.”
Hunter, the other candidate in the race, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor does state deputy Kirkman Finlay, the Columbia Republican who has encouraged lawmakers to vote for Dozier.
During testimony before a legislative panel on February 1, Dozier described himself as a “passionate Gamecock, graduated in 1990, who believes in the university.”
“That said, I recognize that more work needs to be done so that the University can reach its maximum potential in educating students and serving the state of South Carolina,” he said.
Hunter cited his business experience, which he said would help him make sure the university “is offering a strong return on investment for every person who invests dollars”.