A new bison statue has taken the place of a formally removed Confederate soldier statue on Dixie State University’s campus.
The negative effects the Confederate soldier statue had on the university and those affiliated with the university is why that statue was removed one decade ago. It took this long to find an adequate replacement to represent the university.
With this statue replacing the previous Confederate soldier statue, removed in 2012, it shows and represents the university’s efforts to move forward in a new direction, as does the name change.
Jyl Hall, director of public relations, said: “DSU eliminated confederate references on campus a decade ago, it does not represent who we are as a university. However, the Trailblazer identity does accurately portray the university community as the forward-thinkers we are, and this statue does an excellent job of depicting this.”
The new statue, created by Douglas Van Howd, symbolizes a new beginning and goes right along with the name change to Utah Tech University. Hall said the statue is an indicator that who we are as a university is not changing even though the name is. As the new name of DSU, Utah Tech University, takes place, the bison will remain as the university’s mascot.
Hall said, “We have kept the pedestal in front of the Cox vacant until we found the right piece because the Dixie name is cherished by our community. We knew it was important to get the replacement statue right.”
The new statue is not part of the Trailblazers Art in the City Project, but still displays the trailblazer and bison attributes. DSU’s bison represents a trailblazing spirit that is shown throughout the campus and community. The bisons throughout St. George represent a trailblazing spirit in the community. Each bison is unique and is sponsored and designed by a designated artist.
Hall said, “The Trailblazers Art in the City project, which places hand-painted bison around town, are key in fostering a university-community relationship and letting the community know they are an important part of Trailblazer Nation.”
The new statue is one step further into the rebrand process of DSU to Utah Tech University, which will officially take place July 1.
