‘This isn’t a one-off and Western isn’t alone’ as bigotry rises on campus
An incident of anti-Islamic bias at Western Washington University was made public this week on social media, and university officials said it’s part of a recent trend of hate speech targeting religious groups, LGBTQIA+ students and others on campus.
Just a day after The Bellingham Herald reported antisemitic and white supremacist graffiti in the WWU student center, the university informed students and staff about rising bigotry on campus in a message from Litav Langley, assistant vice president for access, diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This isn’t a one-off and Western isn’t alone,” Langley said online Wednesday, Oct. 26.
“Incidents of antisemitism have been rising across the country. Here at home, our Bias Response Team has received multiple reports of written and verbal bias in recent weeks,” Langley said.
Langley listed several recent incidents:
▪ Antisemitic and white supremacist graffiti in Viking Union.
▪ Anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-Black, and antisemitic vandalism in and around residence halls.
▪ Bias incidents experienced by disabled and BIPOC students.
▪ Handwritten notes in Bond Hall with anti-trans, anti-Iranian, and anti-Islam messages.
WWU’s student body president condemned the Islamophobic incident in an Instagram post Wednesday.
“Islamophobia and anti-Iranian misinformation have no place at WWU,” said Sargun Handa, president of Associated Students of Western Washington University.
Handa also criticized the antisemitic and white supremacist incidents, using strong language, and urged students to report such incidents to the university.
Such bigotry can be a violation of WWU’s Student Conduct Code.
“Students found responsible for violations of the code will be sanctioned, with possible sanctions including suspension or expulsion from the university,” Langley said.
Langley also suggested several ways that students, staff and others can be an ally, and urged reporting of all bias incidents to the Bias Response Team.
This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
