Dean's statement on hate speech incident Dean's statement on hate speech incident

Ron Matson, dean of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, responds to the discovery of a hateful remark written on a Black History Month poster hung in a Lindquist Hall elevator. His office is in Lindquist.

I am distraught by the hateful comment placed on a poster asking for ideas regarding Black History Month. In my experience at WSU, such events are rare and isolated.

Black History Month is an opportunity for all in our community to celebrate diversity and take positive action to reduce bigotry. It is unfortunate that some choose to denigrate African Americans when given the opportunity to express solidarity with the cause of social justice.

I believe that hate speech is representative of a very small part of the WSU community. Such expressions are unacceptable in an environment that fosters understanding and tolerance, and such language will be met with strong, negative responses when the offender is known.