Hate crimes up on campuses, group says

La Salle University has disciplined a fraternity and suspended several students over an off-campus fight last weekend in which several black students said they were assaulted and subjected to racial slurs that drew on the presidential election.

The Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Fiji, has lost its privileges pending the outcome of the investigation, and 12 to 15 students are expected to face disciplinary charges, school officials said. University officials declined to say whether the students were members of the fraternity.

Meanwhile, students at St. Joseph's University were planning a candlelight vigil and other events to strike back against racially charged graffiti found in a campus classroom on Oct. 29.

At Lehigh University, the Black Student Union and others called for curriculum changes and the hiring of a chief diversity officer following reports of racial taunts being made toward black students after the election.

The actions come as two national groups report a surge of similar acts on campuses and elsewhere around the country, all in the wake of Barack Obama's election as president.

"There have been hundreds and hundreds of these incidents around the country, everything from Barack Obama effigies hung from nooses, to racist comments posted on various Web sites to really threatening e-mails," said Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes. "What this represents is a real backlash by a certain subset of the white population."

His Montgomery, Ala.-based organization said high levels of nonwhite immigration, the surge in minority populations, a worsening economy and joblessness all are contributing to the unrest.

"Add to all that the election of a black man to the White House. What we're seeing is kind of a perfect storm," he said.

The NAACP also said it has been receiving reports of threats, firings and intimidating acts. But the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice report no uptick in official complaints since the election.

"The only surprising part about it all is that it's happening on college campuses," said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, associate professor of politics and African American studies at Princeton University. "It's not surprising that, in the aftermath of an election where there is greater political power for African Americans, we would see a resurgence of racism and white supremacy."

Typically, college students and younger people in general are viewed as more racially tolerant, having grown up in a more integrated society, Harris-Lacewell explained.

"On the other hand," she added, "young people lack impulse control, drink heavily and stand around outside."

Potok, of the poverty law center, said 11 percent of hate crimes reported to the FBI come from K-12 schools and colleges - campuses being the third-most frequent site of such crimes, behind homes and highways.

At North Carolina State University, there were racist messages targeting Obama. An expletive with Obama's name showed up on a campus tree at Purdue University in Indiana. At Baylor University in Texas, a rope tied in a noose was hung on a campus tree.

Lehigh University is investigating racial complaints that surfaced after the election, said spokeswoman Dina Silver Pokedoff.

"Those found responsible will be charged and referred to the university student judicial system and proper law enforcement authorities, where appropriate," she said.

At La Salle, university officials say a small group of students has been placed on interim suspension and others suspected of a less serious role in the incident also face charges but have not been suspended. The incident, which occurred early Sunday morning at a house primarily occupied by Phi Gamma Delta members, continued about a block away, at Chew Avenue and Wister Street, said Joseph J. Cicala, dean of students.

City police said no criminal charges have been filed and the university is handling the investigation.

Cicala said the fraternity was suspended because the investigation revealed it may have played a role. He declined to describe the role but said the students and the fraternity face disciplinary hearings.

At St. Joseph's, another campus meeting was held this week following the discovery last month of the drawing of a stick figure in a noose at McShain Hall, a dormitory and classroom building.

"The students are really taking this on as something they need to be invested in," said spokeswoman Harriet Goodheart.

The Anti-Defamation League in Philadelphia is looking into both the St. Joseph's and La Salle incidents, said regional director Barry Morrison.

Some experts emphasized that the incidents on campuses represent the views of only a small "fringe" group.

"I've not noticed a spike or increase in racial incidents on campuses during or since the election," said Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a Falls Church, Va., based conservative civil rights group.

He cautioned that the graffiti could be a hoax.

Still, animosity can be expected to continue to flare during Obama's presidency, some expect.

"There will always be a vicious and angry minority who will be willing to use violence and racial slurs," said Harris-Lacewell. "Barack Obama will represent a focal point for that."