On Feb. 20, Wright State sent out a campus-wide email stating that over the weekend, white-supremacist posters had been found on campus and removed.
“University police officers and staff searched Dayton Campus buildings and the tunnels in an effort to remove all materials posted in violation of the university’s posting policy,” according to the email.
Those responsible for hanging the posters have been identified as an American neo-Nazi/white supremacist group. Their actions are consistent with incidents reported on other campuses, leading Wright State to believe that their intention was to recruit new members.
“As we shared with you in a previous communication in September, ‘as a state-supported public university, Wright State must allow individuals or groups who wish to exercise their First Amendment rights on its campuses the opportunity to do so’ as long they are adhering to University Policy,” according to the email. However, the organization did not adhere to the university’s posting policy.
The email asked community members to help by reporting concerning incidents, especially when safety is involved, and asking for resources. Incidents can be reported to the University Police Department, the Office of Equity and Inclusion or to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
The email concluded by validating students’ concern about the posters and stating that Wright State does not support the messages of the organization.
In October 2017, hate speech graffiti was discovered on various bathroom stalls on campus.
