RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - About 40 students at Hampden-Sydney College shouted racial slurs, threw bottles and set off fireworks outside the Minority Student Union within minutes after President Barack Obama's re-election, officials of the tiny, all-male school said Thursday.
The disturbance late Tuesday and early Wednesday also included threats of physical violence, President Chris Howard said in an email to parents.
Members of the Minority Student Union notified campus police of the gathering outside their house. An investigation is under way.
"I am terribly disappointed with the students who participated in this harmful, senseless episode including those men who stood idly by and watched it happen," wrote Howard, the college's first African-American president. "There is no place for bigotry or racism on this campus."
Howard said offenders will be adjudicated by the campus justice system. They could face punishments ranging from probation to expulsion, he said.
The racially tinged incident is the second reported protest sparked by Obama's re-election. A protest at the University of Mississippi in Oxford late Tuesday involved about 400 people who shouted racial slurs. Two people were arrested.
Howard said nearly 300 members of the campus community gathered at a campus meeting Wednesday night to discuss what happened.
"There were a lot more at that town hall meeting denouncing what happened than the knuckleheads who were misbehaving terribly that night," Howard said in an interview. "We need to keep that in mind."
A spokesman for the college said the unrest escalated within minutes of the presidential race being called on television for Obama, with students leaving their residences and "expressing their disappointment." About 20 students were inside the house at the time and some left to peacefully confront the crowd, as did other students, spokesman Thomas H. Shomo said.
"There were slurs directed toward the MSU house, but at some point very quickly, certain responsible students got involved and said this is not right," he said. There were no physical confrontations and no damage occurred as a result of the unrest, he said.
Howard called the incident "a perfect storm of a tense nation, an uptight" nation and a campus of young men.
"We love our men, but they're young men," he said. "Young men sometimes act before they think."
He added, however, "You've got to look the facts in the eye and say what happened on that night was ugly."
Howard said those who attended the Wednesday night meeting were intent on addressing the root causes and how to move forward.
"This is not who we are and we're going to do better," Howard said, calling the offending students "bad seeds."
Hampden-Sydney, located about 60 miles southwest of Richmond, has a black enrollment approaching 9 percent of its 1,080 students. The private, tradition-bound school was founded in 1775 and is one of only three all-male colleges in the U.S.
The campus is known for its decorum and honor code. Visitors are greeted by passers-by, backpacks are left lying around without fear of theft and students dress in coat and tie for football balls.
Students are expected to hew two standards of honorable behavior:
"The Hampden-Sydney student will behave as a gentleman at all times and in all places."
"The Hampden-Sydney student will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do."
Its former students have included a president, William Henry Harrison, and comedian Stephen Colbert.
Online: Hampden-Sydney College
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
Comments
Response To Protest
This incident is not very surprising. People releasing their anger towards someone when something doesn't go their way. Whom ever is in that person's path, has to receive the unfortunate wrath stirring up. Anytime one of my friends gets angry at anyone for something serious, personal attacks begin to be blurted out. These insults don't mean anything and aren't taken offense to, but can if the wrong person is present. When you're angry, you are not in the correct state of mind and are in a heat of passion. Therefore when you're fighting with someone you aren't saying things you mean to and can't control what comes out. I am surprised these outbursts and events took place at this prestigious school, but not at the racial slurs that were used. I am not condoning any of this behavior and believe that it is a horrible, disgusting circumstance in which you can find anywhere. We as a society need to be able to control our anger, no man or woman is logical when angry. Also, it is interesting that this school has these code of ethics about no lying, cheating, or theft. It's something to think about because of who might have made the school, where did they come up with those and why?
Unacceptable hatred...
This incident seems very out of date to me. The public needs to stop acting in these outrageous situations toward races. Coming from an all white family, I have NEVER felt the urge to display hatred or anger towards a particular race, especially in the reaction to a president’s re-election. In this circumstance of a prestigious school undergoing the conditions and frustration some people had because of the re-election, I can understand how this happened. However, it is not acceptable and in my opinion, the parents are just as liable for their children’s actions as the children are themselves. There is no need for this type of hatred. I am shocked that racism is still an issue; people need to step back and realize that we are all different. Diversity is what has given this country the strongest backbone for purposes of education, jobs/economy and political matters. STOP the nonsense and find reasons to live and better yourself and the people around you, leave the hatred.
Racial Slurs because of the re election of Obama.
A school that is held to high standards, according to this article the men of an all boy college are protesting the re election of President Obama! Who would think that any one into day’s society would still have the audacity to come out in a public situation and shot racial slurs? I understand some people were upset that the President was reelected, but I would never think people would say racist things out in a public space. People might think these kinds of things, but for these men to act and make their racist attitudes heard. People know that racism is a horrible and unaccepted in America why would you say these things in a public sphere? It makes people that support Romney are radical and uneducated; these men look immature and stupid! Virginia before the civil war had a large number of slaves! Maybe this is embedded in these men’s brains to be racist. They know it is unacceptable to be racist, but this school holds up traditional values and racism is passed down from generation to generation. They try to get away from racist attitude, but it’s hard when your parents and or grandparents don’t think African Americans are equal with white people. My friend went to Virginia because her family still lives there ,and she said that a lot of people still hang the Confederate flag on their porch!