In the midst of homecoming celebrations, flyers stating, “It’s okay to be white,” were found on ETSU’s campus Nov. 1.
According to ETSU President Brian Noland, the flyers were seen in the morning in various places, including the memorial fountain plaques outside of Sherrod Library honoring the first African American students to enroll at ETSU, Dossett Hall and light poles. The signs displayed the message but nothing else.
“As we have learned more about this, this is something where individuals are targeting universities to try to plant seeds of division,” he said.
The attack was not isolated to ETSU nor was it aimed at homecoming activities or the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza unveiling, according to Noland. The flyers have been posted at multiple universities across the nation in the past year, according to Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed.
“Why are they attacking college campuses?” Noland said. “Because we are places of light. We are places of hope, and we are places of unity. We are places that celebrate diversity. Those are values that, for some groups in our country, they want to attack.”
Noland said 17 ETSU staff members spent over two hours Friday morning removing the flyers.
“As these things are happening around us, I tell staff all the time, ‘Ignore the noise and focus on what’s right,'” he said. “All across the country, things that I’ve believed in my entire life are being questioned – that all men are treated equal; they deserve dignity and respect. Hopefully institutions can continue to do what this institution has done for more than 100 years, which is to be a beacon of hope in the Appalachian mountains.”
Noland said a message will be sent to the ETSU community this week addressing the attack.
ETSU Student Government Association President Aamir Shaikh said he did not know enough as of Nov. 2 to make a statement regarding the incident, but he did comment on the approach taken by the individual or group who posted the flyers.
“At this point, I want to say it’s vandalism,” he said. “There’s free speech, and there’s a correct way to express that.”
Multicultural Center Director Carshonda Harris said she was disappointed the flyers were found on campus, but she was glad they did not affect homecoming activities, including the NPHC Plaza dedication. Harris said she believes the best way for the university to move forward is to create a community that supports and celebrates diversity at ETSU.
“Just because we’re celebrating one group doesn’t mean that we’re belittling another group,” she said. “We should all just be able to come together and just be happy for one another instead of trying to fight against each other.”
