Derogatory graffiti painted outside of Hatch Hall

Posted to On Campus by Jimmy Hibsch at 11:22 a.m., Feb. 12, 2011

In the midst of Black History Month, the MU Police Department responded to its second report of racially-offensive vandalism in two years Saturday morning.

"I received a TwitPic from one of our students," Legion of Black Collegians President Lisa White said. "There has been a vandalism act on the residence hall and it had racially slurred words on there."

Offensive language is strewn across a sculpture outside of the residence hall. White said "the N word" was written along with another word she could not decipher from the picture she received. This comes about a year after two students spread cotton balls outside of the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center.

"This is really something disheartening to our organization because this is the second time it has happened and the second consecutive year it has happened," White said. "It always seems to happen during Black History Month, which is even more unacceptable because that is a time to honor African Americans and their struggles and their leaders. This is now sometimes a time when individuals — whether they be black, white or otherwise — decide to cause attention and bring negative attention to the month some of us take so seriously."

The words have since been covered by Hatch Hall employees with tape and paper.

White said the organization has written a letter about the incident and plans to distribute it widely. She said the organization will be holding a meeting Wednesday which she hopes Missouri Students Association President Eric Woods, Chancellor Brady Deaton and other MU administrators attend.

"We need their attention so they can understand, 'Yeah, the first time it might have just been an incident,' but the second time in two years? We just can't stand for it," White said.

LBC said MU will probably be unhappy with all of the negative press likely to surround this case, as it is attempting to increase black student enrollment. The situation is leaving many dismayed with the state of racial attitudes at MU.

"I for one can say that I don't want to parade around and talk about the unity of the University of Missouri," MU NAACP chapter President Bryan Like said in a statement. "I do not want to stand on the steps of Jesse Hall singing kumbaya and lighting candles for unity. I do not want to pacify this situation. What came out of the cotton ball incident besides a Columbia judicial verdict? What came out of Mizzou alumn Terrence Williams having racist words written outside of his dorm room? What is the university doing to prevent these issues?"

MU has yet to release a statement on the issue.

This comes about two weeks before 850 black students from across the nation come to MU for the 2011 Big XII Conference on Black Student Government, which begins Feb. 24.

Stay with the Maneater as the story develops.