Over the weekend of Oct. 31 through Nov. 4, the University of Utah had multiple posters posted around campus with rhetoric that included: “it’s okay to be white” and “Reclaim America.” Although the U has said multiple times that it does not align itself with this rhetoric, groups have consistently posted racist messages on campus. Some of these messages have been sourced to the hate group Identity Evropa, and The Daily Utah Chronicle found that a former U employee was linked to the propaganda. It is not clear if the latest postings are from this same group.
“It makes me super uncomfortable being on campus if those things are going up,” said Sydney Wheeler, a sophomore studying psychology.
Each of the students that were interviewed had expressed concern over the material that was placed around campus. Wheeler said that she chose the U because it felt like an inclusive, non-discriminatory campus, which made the postings particularly disturbing to her.
Other students interviewed did not know anything about the posters. Both Andrew Hockman, a junior majoring in economics, and Alexandra Beringer, a freshman studying computer science, had not seen or heard about the propaganda.
The U released a statement addressing these posters. In their statement, the U said they took down the posters immediately. They are currently using video footage to investigate possible suspects, and encouraged students to report any other incidents to the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Still, some students wanted more to be done.
“Something should be done,” Beringer said, “especially if people are feeling uncomfortable around campus.”
“They should probably make an effort to find out who is posting these, and get a lead on the activity going on around campus,” Skyer said.
“I didn’t even hear about it, so I think addressing it would be good,” Wheeler said. “I would like a board member to come out and make it public to show us that [racism] isn’t tolerated, and get those people out of the university.”
“[Racism] should always be condemned,” Hockman said.
When asked if there were any plans for a bigger statement, the U made no comment.
“From my understanding, these posters were posted contrary to the current policy and were removed,” said Brain Burton, an associate dean of students. “We will continue to educate on and enforce the existing policy. Although I’m not aware of any plans to revise the posting policy, in general, University policies continue to be reviewed and developed as needed.”
To report anything that goes against the current posting policy, please contact either the University Facilities Management online by following the steps here or by phone at 801-581-7221. Or contact the University Department of Public Safety by phone 801-581-2677.
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