RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina State University Board of Trustees has decided to remove the word “Dixie” from its alma mater because of its Confederate connotation.
The board voted Friday to change the wording of the first line of the song. “Where the winds of Dixie softly blow” will be replaced by “Where the Southern winds so softly blow.”
WNCN-TV reports that a letter from Chancellor Randy Woodson said the song was originally written in the 1920s. Woodson said a growing number of students, faculty, staff, and alumni have expressed concerns about the word, which they see as contrary to the school's values and goals.
