American University president Neil Kerwin has officially weighed in on a pair of incidents that occurred on the DC campus just last week. In a memorandum to all members of the AU community, President Kerwin reacted to the events “that left our African-American students and others shaken, upset, and even feeling unsafe.”
The Monday morning memo was delivered to students in response to two events that students have deemed as racially-motivated. In one instance, an African American freshman living on campus found a rotten banana and a genitalia graffitied on a white board outside her dorm room. The College Fix also reports that the second incident allegedly involved another black female having a banana thrown at her by two white males.
Kerwin had the following to say about the “Recent Events and Climate of Inclusion“:
“I share with many of you deep disappointment and frustration that these events have disrupted our community and challenged our efforts to build an inclusive campus culture. They simply have no place here. We will confront racist expressions with forceful condemnation and respond to discrimination with every tool at our disposal. It is incumbent on the university to respond clearly and to educate those who cause harm with their insensitivity and ignorance.”
While the memo addresses the current state of the investigation, student activists are left demanding a plan to prevent this from happening in the future. Ma’at Sargeant, the president of the Black Student Alliance at American, is calling for further action.
“This kind of thing has been happening at AU for years,” Sargeant said. “In the real world, this would be a hate crime and an assault.”
Kerwin acknowledged that in the light of recent national events, work to create a more inclusive environment will continue for the foreseeable future.