[nfbmi-talk] off topic but so sad

[joe harcz Comcast]

Hundreds attend MSU town hall after racial incidents

 

Kim Kozlowski and Karen Bouffard/ The Detroit News

 

Lansing— As many as 1,000 students attended an emergency town hall at Michigan State University this evening to protest what they called racial discrimination

on campus, including slurs scrawled on doors and a black doll hung from the ceiling in a classroom.

 

"The N-word is being written on our doors … confederate flags are being hung," MSU student Jasmine Fountain said. "Meanwhile, the university sits by and

does nothing."

 

Brittany Harvey said somebody drew a swastika on her dorm room door last week, and wrote offensive words two days later.

 

"This year my picture was torn down in the hallway," Harvey said.

 

Hundreds of hands went up when Black Student Association president Mario Lemons asked students how many had experienced racism on the MSU campus.

 

"I can tell at least 80 percent of you raised your hands," Lemons said. "I was the only black guy on the floor my freshman year, they write 'black power'

on my door. I'm the only black guy on my floor and they're saying (the N-word) all up and down my hallway.

 

"This racism that's going on on campus is not acceptable and it will not be condoned."

 

Tinisha Sharp was leaving her dorm room to go to chemistry class last week when she saw someone had written a racial slur on the dry erase board hung on

the door. Since she was the only African-American living in the room with three other students, Sharp knew the message was directed at her.

 

Sharp a Detroiter who is living on MSU's campus, called the police and her family. She moved that same day from Akers Hall to another dorm across campus.

 

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Sharp, who's since been checked on by university officials several times. "It was very surprising to see a message like

that. I really thought this type of discrimination had been ceased by this time. But I guess not."

 

The incident was one of three in recent weeks at MSU that prompted an email to students from President Lou Anna K. Simon condemning the string of incidents.

Police are investigating, she said.

 

"Such behavior is not representative of MSU's values nor should it be tolerated," Simon said in the letter. She said the string of incidents "is extraordinarily

troubling and creates a legitimate concern that all of us must address."

 

The incidents began last month when a student cleaning one of the university's chemistry labs found a black doll hanging from a makeshift noose of green

beads.

 

They continued last week with Sharp's incident and a few days later, students reported the "n" word written on a wall at Armstrong Hall, which is typically

occupied by freshmen.

 

Students are saying that these are hate crimes.

 

"They are upsetting, but the reality is that this is nothing new. Incidents like this happen on campus yearly and regularly," said Silver Moore, vice president

of the MSU Black Student Alliance. "We just don't want to continue to see this happen."

 

All universities work to foster a welcoming environment since many students come to universities from homogenous high school experiences and meet people

who are different, said University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman.

 

But, she warned, intolerance can occur. Coleman pointed to incidents last year at U-M when student body president Chris Armstrong was targeted for being

gay in scores of blog posts by a state assistant attorney general who was eventually fired.

 

"(Armstrong) conducted himself in a way that I don't think many of us could and in doing so he brought great understanding," said Coleman, who took media

questions Tuesday after speaking at the Detroit Economic Club.

 

"The thing that was so heartening to me was the number of students who rallied and said, 'You know what? He's one of us.' Sometimes it takes terrible incidents

like that to wake students up."

 

More than 47,000 students were enrolled at MSU in fall 2010.

 

Of those, 3,175 were African-American, or about 6.7 percent, according to reports from the MSU Registrar's Office.

 

Many students were glad that the issue is being discussed, and hope steps are taken so similar incidents won't happen in the future.

 

"It's kind of disheartening to hear about these things happening in this day and age," said Philip Lewis, an MSU junior from Detroit. "But I am glad to

see the students getting together and being proactive."

 

kkozlowski at detnews.com