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Classes canceled at Salisbury University after more racist threats found Classes canceled at Salisbury University after more racist threats found
(about 11 hours later)
Officials canceled classes Thursday at Salisbury University’s campus after racist threats were found there. Salisbury University officials canceled classes Thursday following the discovery of racist graffiti that threatened black students with lynching. The messages were found scrawled on a wall and a door in two academic buildings and were reported to university police.
In a statement, officials at the college on Maryland’s Eastern Shore said they were canceling classes to “provide a day of healing following the most recent incident of threatening, racially charged vandalism” on the campus Wednesday. It wasn’t the first time this academic year that messages targeted African American students at the state university.
Several offices, including the college’s counseling center and Office of Diversity, were to remain open Thursday, and the campus is expected to have “an increased police presence,” the statement said. Salisbury University President Charles A. Wight decided to cancel classes following meetings Wednesday with students and administrators.
Authorities said the incident involved “racially charged and threatening graffiti” that was found in Henson Science Hall on the campus. No details were given as to exactly what the latest incident involved. “Tonight, our campus is under attack by a coward,” Wight said in a statement Wednesday. “An attack on some members of our campus community is an attack on all of us, and we all need to respond.”
In November, police at Salisbury University started an investigation into “similar messages scrawled on the walls of two stairwells in Fulton Hall,” officials said in a statement. Wight said he canceled classes Thursday “to give us all the opportunity to come together to process what we are experiencing, support each other and figure out how we can move forward together as a community.”
‘Sandy Hook comes to SU’: Racist, threatening graffiti frightens Salisbury University students Classes were scheduled to resume Friday.
The message found in November said, “Sandy Hook comes to SU kill [racial slur].” Images of the comment, which seemed to refer to the 2012 shooting that left 26 people dead at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., were posted on social media. Officials at the school on Maryland’s Eastern Shore said university police were working with local law enforcement and the FBI to investigate the incident.
Officials said the university’s police department and the FBI’s Baltimore field office are investigating the latest incident as well. In November, Salisbury University police launched an investigation into messages scrawled on the walls of two stairwells in Fulton Hall that warned, “Sandy Hook comes to SU kill [racial slur].” Images of the comment, which appeared to refer to the 2012 shooting that left 26 people dead at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., were posted on social media. Police have made no arrests in that incident.
Salisbury University President Charles A. Wight said in another statement posted online that the campus “is under attack by a coward.” ‘Sandy Hook comes to SU’: Racist threatening graffiti frightens Salisbury University students
He said, “Not one but multiple racist threats are being directed at Black and Brown members of OUR community.” African American students make up about 16 percent of the university’s 8,700 student population, according to university spokesman Jason Rhodes. The latest discovery of racist threats prompted a range of emotions among those students.
Wight said he was aware that the incidents have “frightened members of our community, particularly Black and Brown students, faculty and staff.” “We’re scared, but we’re not going to hide in fear. We’re not going to show we’re afraid,” said Aji Sarr, 22, an African American senior majoring in social work.
After racist incidents, Salisbury and Syracuse universities take steps to change campus Sarr said Salisbury administrators made the right decision when they canceled classes, but she wants the university to take more aggressive steps to find out who was responsible for the graffiti and to make sure all students are protected.
Wight added: “An attack on some members of our campus community is an attack on all of us, and we all need to respond.” He called the incidents “vile acts” that are “not welcome” on the campus and “do not represent our values.” “The moment I have to question my safety on campus is the moment I realized I’m not safe,” she said.
Wight said he made the “decision to cancel classes to give us all the opportunity to come together to process what we are experiencing, support each other and figure out how we can move forward together as a community.” The youth and college chapter of the NAACP at Salisbury issued a statement calling for accountability by the administration.
The campus remains open Thursday, and officials said “faculty and staff are encouraged to come to work to support” students and the community. “We will no longer tolerate these racist acts on our campus,” the civil rights organization said in a statement. “It is time to make our voice louder than it has ever been. Do not lose hope and please keep fighting with us.”
Classes are expected to resume Friday. Though classes were canceled Thursday, much of the campus, including the college’s counseling center and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, remained open. The university held meetings and sessions to address student concerns and answer questions. Faculty and staff were encouraged to meet with students, and the university announced an increased police presence on campus.
Get updates on your area delivered via email Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, condemned “this abhorrent act” and offered his support to the school and students.
“Hate speech and harassment have absolutely no place in the University System of Maryland,” Perman said in a statement. “The Salisbury community has the University System’s complete support as the investigation proceeds and as students, faculty, and staff come together to examine issues of race and racism, inclusion and intolerance.”
Despite the school’s efforts and assurances from the administration, some students remained worried.
“It hurts. It’s happening again and I’m upset and angry,” said Sadé Herbert, 21, an African American senior majoring in community health. Herbert is a member of the university’s gospel choir, which planned to meet Thursday night.
“We’re going to have a prayer circle to pray for everyone who is affected by this,” she said. “We’re also praying for the person who is doing this, because they may not be in the right mindset.”
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