More than 200 students, faculty and staff gathered in Koch Commons Thursday night for a “BE-In” event to reclaim the space of Ireland Hall after a racial slur was found in one of its bathrooms. The event was followed by a peaceful protest in front of the men’s dormitory.
This event, which was moved indoors because of rainy weather, followed a Teach In/Speak Out event earlier Thursday, giving the St. Thomas community a chance to speak out after the racial slur was found Wednesday night.
“Hate is not tolerated on campus,” Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence Kha Yang said. “(We are here) to reconfirm our values and our convictions of respect and dignity for everyone.”
Justice and Peace Studies professor and St. Thomas alumnus Mike Klein said this incident does not define what St. Thomas is.
“I feel emotional. I feel angry. I feel frustrated. I feel motivated,” Klein said. “I do not want this to be the St. Thomas that people know.”
Psychology professor Elise Amel encouraged students to prepare and learn how to talk about race with their peers.
“You need to share your vision of the positive future you want to see,” Amel said. “What is your elevator pitch for this when you want to talk to somebody?”
Dean Yohuru Williams of the College of Arts and Sciences noted the absence of President Julie Sullivan due to a previously planned trip.
“I want you to know how important this gathering is to her, and how committed she is to diversity and inclusion,” Williams said. “That is a goal for us as an institution because that’s the right thing to do.”
After the Koch Commons gathering, the crowd headed to the front of Ireland Hall where a group of students peacefully protested for about an hour, standing on the steps leading into the dorm.
Sophomore Ian Mathison was disappointed when he found out a racial incident happened for the second time in his St. Thomas career.
“This is something that hits you right in the chest,” Mathison said. “This isn’t anything small. It’s sickening and disgusting.”
Klein, who joined in on the peaceful protest, had an initial reaction of “not again” and “here we go again” when he was made aware of the incident.
“This is not an isolated incident; it’s a pattern,” he said.
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Aaron Macke noted the irony of the incident. To the right of the Ireland Hall bathroom, there is anti-hate signage on the wall. (Althea Larson/TommieMedia)
Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Aaron Macke emphasized the efforts being made by his office to avoid racial incidents.
“The irony is just outside the bathroom that this was done, there’s a whole mural portrayal of ‘hate has no home here’ and a whole collage of language around inclusivity,” Macke said. “Despite the efforts that are very clear, I have no doubt that whoever did this was very aware that this was wrong.”
Macke noted that there is an investigation ongoing to catch the person or persons responsible.
“My hope with any investigation like this is that we get to the bottom of it,” Macke said.
Justin Amaker can be reached at justin.amaker@stthomas.edu.
Samantha HoangLong contributed to this report.