Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden initiated conversation to censor The Antlers, a famed student-loyalist group that has been ejected from two consecutive basketball games, student government officials said Tuesday.
“We have high expectations for our students and our staff at the University of Missouri,” Alden said Monday. “Our core values are respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence, and it’s critically important that we represent those values every day in everything we do. We just want to make sure that folks are representing the institution with class.”
Alden, speaking at a intercollegiate athletics committee meeting almost two weeks ago, took issue with the group and some of its provocative chants and approached Missouri Students Association President Nick Droege and Vice President Zach Beattie to organize a meeting with Antlers “Grand Poobah,” or president, Emmett Delaney and members of the university administration in the coming weeks.
“It was Mike Alden who brought it (The Antlers) up,” Beattie said. “He didn’t mention their name, but we all know who they are.”
At the next meeting, attended by both Droege and Beattie, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs, Assistant Director for Campus Activities Kathy Murray and an athletics representative, Delaney was presented with a list of cheers deemed inappropriate and officials warned if athletics staff deemed any actions “subjectively inappropriate,” the group would be dismissed as a whole from an event.
That list, released by Mizzou Athletics, includes chants “Mister mister sister fister” and “Just like last night, put it in the hole,” among others. Neither Droege nor Beattie could pinpoint the document’s exact origin within the athletic department, but each confirmed its authenticity and said it did not come from team officials.
“Just because it’s not on the list, they’re still not acceptable,” Droege said. “I hope they looked at that list and anything that mirrors those comments are taken out.”
Droege said he offered help setting the group up with university-facilitated diversity training or green dot training. Beattie, a member of the “Comedy Wars” improv troupe, offered help coming up with less inflammatory cheers and signs.
Saturday, the group was ejected before the Tigers’ (5-0) win against Gardner-Webb began. Delaney said some dozen members had just completed an age-old chant, “Scum, scum, scum, go back to where you’re from and die,” a group tradition dating back to its founding in the 1970s. Delaney said the group changed “die” to “cry” to accommodate university requests.
University police told Delaney the group was ejected for “a pattern of unruly behavior.”
Monday against IUPUI, they were ejected with 12 seconds remaining in the first half after the chant “Pelvic thrust, churn the butter, step to the right, cop a feel.”
Police told Delaney afterward the chant was sexualized.
Droege and Beattie did not attend either contest. Most students are away from campus for Thanksgiving break.
“They definitely knew they were going to be watched very closely,” Beattie said. “There was no ambush.”
Both said the decision to eject the group came from event staff at the game and was predicated upon the group’s actions each day.
“There must have been something that staff subjectively determined was inappropriate,” Droege said.
Beyond disorderly conduct, Beattie raised that The Antlers, with matching uniforms and well-coordinated chants and signs, look like a university-sponsored entity to the untrained eye. Though not discussed at either meeting, Droege said he agrees.
“An organization that looks that organized does give the outside perspective that they represent the university,” he said.
Droege said he hopes tensions defuse over the remainder of the holiday and will look to act as a mediator between The Antlers and the athletic department and administration once all parties return to Columbia.
“I really do want to serve as a support for them as they move forward,” he said. “The Antlers have a tremendous impact on games and help our team, but there’s two or three comments that overshadow that impact.”
Alden could not be reached for comment.