Two nooses were found on the campus of the University of West Florida in Pensacola. One was found last Saturday and a second noose was found on Monday.
Judith Bense, president of the university, issued a statement which read, in part, “This speech is repugnant to university ideals. The university strives to create and maintain a community that is free of harassment, intimidation and/or humiliation for all students, faculty and staff. This matter is very serious. I hope you will all join me in open, honest dialogue and mutual respect for our fellow students and colleagues.”
My daughter is a freshman at UWF and alerted me to this incident immedietly. Two more incidents followed. I was not pleased at the schools response and contacted the President soon after. Honestly, I am not sure they knew how to address the issue and even with a Black adminisrator in the multicultural department (who did not contact me back), it was addressed very poorly. According to my daughter, many of the Black students have considered transferring to other schools, despite what they believed was a very “tight-knit” community.
My daughter is to attend UWF this upcoming Fall. This is causing some serious doubts. There is not much being said about the incident and I would like to know how it is being handled, before I entrust my daughter to stay on the campus. Please post any updates.
UWF continues to be the most racist campus I have ever been on. I reported abuse and discrimination and begged for help in several departments. I was threatened instead of helped. It is intensely hateful retaliation against me for asking for help to, to the point of being afraid I will be murdered on campus for speaking up.