Aug 02, 2014 06:36 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Mississippi (UM) is making changes to their campus community to disassociate from the plantation-era Old South.

According to the Associated Press, UM is changing the name of Confederate Drive, a short street near campus, to Chapel Lane. The school is also taking steps to highlight the historical significance the Oxford, Miss. campus holds.

"Our unique history regarding race provides not only a larger responsibility for providing leadership on race issues, but also a large opportunity - one we should and will embrace," Chancellor Dan Jones wrote in a new report.

Better known as Ole Miss, the school announced in a news release that Jones planned the report to work toward creating a more inclusive and diverse campus experience. The report calls for a new position as well, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion.

Jones also wrote in the report that several faculty members felt the term Ole Miss was racist in its origin.

"Some object simply because it is a nickname and prefer the more formal name, and some express concern about its origin, believing that the term is racist," Jones wrote.

"The reports from everyone involved were candid and thoughtful in suggesting that more can be done here to improve our environment for diversity and inclusion," he said in the release. "It is my hope that the steps outlined here - reflecting the hard work of university committees and our consultants - will prove valuable in making us a stronger and healthier university, bringing us closer to our goal of being a warm and welcoming place for every person every day, regardless of race, religious preference, country of origin, ability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or gender expression."

Near the school's basketball arena, UM will rename Coliseum Drive after Roy Lee "Chucky" Mullins, a football player who died in 1991 after a game injury left him a quadriplegic two years earlier.

"It was important that we hear from everyone who loves this university," Jones said. "Too often when viewpoints are wide-ranging, nuanced and emotional, the easy answer for leaders is a non-decision, freezing people at a point in time and putting progress off to another day. To me, that is not leadership. And our mission as a university is to lead."

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