Photo by Southern Oregon University
On Saturday, May 16 SOU’s President, Linda Schott, announced that another incident of racist vandalism was found in the Shasta Hall on Friday, May 15th. The unknown student(s) carved a 3″x3″ swastika on an elevator panel, which has since been buffed out by maintenance.
This is not the first instance of racist vandalism in Shasta Hall, with instances reported as late as January. In the May 16 email, President Schott announced that the Office of Equity Grievance and Campus Public Safety have begun an investigation, and provided evidence to the Ashland Police Department who have created their own case file.
Back in Winter term, the question was raised why the residence halls didn’t have any cameras in public or community spots, where most of the vandalism has been put on display. In the May 16 email, Schott stated that, “[she has] ordered Housing to install cameras in public areas of our residence halls, and we will take all appropriate disciplinary actions when the perpetrator is identified.”
Students can help by reporting suspicious or hateful activity or behavior towards minority groups. Director of Equity Grievance, Angela Fleischer encouraged students to support the community by stating, “I would like your help in holding those responsible for spreading hate accountable. In order to do that, we as a community, need to speak up when we see, hear, or experience things that are hateful. If you have any information about this incident or others I would very much like you to share [it]. I am happy to speak to anyone personally and people can also submit information anonymously here.”
When asked about the residence halls new security measures, Area Coordinator, Allyson Beck, shared, “Housing, IT, and Campus Public Safety identified where cameras will be installed in Shasta Hall and the work will begin within days. We’ll monitor the situation following the initial installation, and will get pricing for new cameras at additional campus locations.”
Below are other contacts students are encouraged to utilize if they have information or need help and support:
- Office of Equity Grievance, Director, Angela Fleischer, Stevenson Union 321, email: fleischea@sou.edu. Phone: (541) 552-7079. https://inside.sou.edu/eg/index.html
- Office of the Dean of Students, Stevenson Union 321, email: dos@sou.edu. Phone: (541) 552-6221. Walk-in hours (Mon, Wed, Friday 2-4 p.m. and Tue, Thu 9:30-11:30 a.m.). https://inside.sou.edu/ssi/index.html
- Student Health and Wellness Center, For appointments, phone (541) 552-6136. https://inside.sou.edu/health/index.html
- Resource Centers (MRC, WRC, QRC), Stevenson Union 305-308. Phone: (541) 552-6711. https://inside.sou.edu/mrc/index.html
