EDITORIAL: American University should not allow hate crime to go unpunished

Students from American University were shocked when they awoke to see blatant and horrendous hate crimes on campus Monday morning. Bananas were hung from ropes, tied from nooses, with phrases like “Harambe bait” and “AKA Free” written on them. The incident occurred on the day that Taylor Dumpson would start her term as the student body’s first female African American president.

Students have become increasingly frustrated with American’s handling of the incident. After a similar event occurred in September where another African American female student was hit with a banana in her dorm room, the school did not take the necessary measures to punish the students responsible. Though protesters asked for their suspension, American did not address the perpetrator with the needed repercussion.

American University students have a right to be angry. The administration let one incident go unchecked and have allowed more students to feel threatened and targeted. This won’t encourage minority students or even students in general to choose American over any other university. The imagery is horrific and the meaning is more than aggressive. Students might not be physically hurt, but they’re being targeted. Most wouldn’t feel comfortable after such a blatant attack to an entire demographic of the student body. Students are disappointed and upset to see crimes like this happening again and again without the university properly punishing the students behind them.

This was, without a doubt, a direct attack on Dumpson. Instead of celebration of her accomplishment, Dumpson was met with unsolicited hate. Rather than a poster or rant on Facebook, these students decided to create a physical representation of an extreme act of violence historically tied to the African American community. The administration’s attempt at a letter was not enough and they must be more public about how hate crimes won’t be accepted. The language should not be “if,” but “when.”

Considering this isn’t the first display of hatred, American has to combat this attitude with clear unacceptance. Offering a reward isn’t active action and posting a video isn’t making a claim. When seven percent of the student body is being targeted by more than half of the student population, the university needs to step up and take a stand. It doesn’t seem like American is proactive on promoting a sense of safety or equality on campus. Instead they emailed a brief and misleading letter, which was a horrible reflection of how they should present themselves. American University must promise to punish these perpetrators and take precautions to prevent this kind of vandalism. It’s clear that the university needs to increase security presence, have professors appeal to students or another alternative that would appease the student body. Unpunished crimes occurred in September and now May, and if no action is taken, this will happen again.

Dear Potential @AmericanU students of color: just don’t come here.
Dear @AmericanU: stop fronting like you care about minorities. pic.twitter.com/esMTeSVX1o

— BLACK (@bootlegjesus_) May 1, 2017

Boston University’s administration have handled racially-fueled situations on campus better. Last spring, Nazi signs were placed on campus and Brown addressed the student body with a clear and strongly worded email. He insisted that this would not be tolerated and the school would work to find who was responsible. Though we might not expect these crimes to be committed at a Northern, liberal university, there are hateful people everywhere. It’s the university’s responsibility to reprimand them.

For American University and universities across the country, a conversation about race and diversity is essential. The event at American is even more salient because of the times. President Donald Trump has made people sensitive to any kind of attack and administrations should tirelessly work to combat oppression and make sure every student feels safe and comfortable.