Robert Khayat Symbolism

“I think he is a rare chancellor. He could be good anywhere, but he’s perfect for Ole Miss,” says the former Ole Miss athletics director, Pete Boone. Boone was correct in his statement, Robert Khayat was perfect fit for chancellorship of the University of Mississippi. As Chancellor Khayat changed the perception of the school making a positive image of the students and the academics of this Mississippian school. Robert Khayat, former chancellor of the University of Mississippi, hired a public relations firm to review some symbols found on campus to understand an outsiders view and eventually try to create diversity of the campus. Khayat also in his newly released biography did not include the segregation memories of when he attended the school

As an insider the symbols such as the confederate flag waving at a football game or the nickname “Rebels” may seem like a simple tradition based on the history of the university. However, the name “University of Mississippi” had a bad connotation among the people outside of these traditions as a result of controversial symbols portrayed by the school. Khayat want to see a different side of the spectrum in order be able to change the perception across the country of the school. Chancellor Khayat tried to see symbols, such as the confederate flag, the nickname Rebels, and Dixie, from an unbiased stand point, through the eyes of outsiders. Khayat hired a public relations firm to stand as this outsider’s perspective in order to be able to effectively draw diversity to the school and promote a more positive view of the school. These controversial symbols made the university appear racist to outsiders, the public relations firm was able to conclude. Robert Khayat alone would not had come to this conclusion most likely so it is very instrumental that he seeks out this alternative viewpoint of the

Although, during the time Khayat spend as a student at the school the state was still segregation, he did not include any details of this in his book. He had constantly pursued a positive image for the school and it is obvious he is still striving towards this goal, even after serving as chancellor. Eliminating such a sensitive subject from his book helps the story to be more appealing to readers and show all the positive sides of the story. If Robert Khayat were to include that detail in his novel, readers might have avoided the book altogether due to the sensitive subject. That segment of history that occurred when he was a student is one of the most sad times in the history of the school and Khayat probably did not want to focus on that aspect in fear of tearing down the positive image he had built over