La Salle: Rope hanging not racially motivated
A rope hanging in the facilities department at La Salle University last fall drew a complaint from a male African American staff member and a several-month investigation by the university, which said it has determined the incident was not racially motivated.
A rope hanging in the facilities department at La Salle University last fall drew a complaint from a male African American staff member and a several-month investigation by the university, which said it has determined the incident was not racially motivated.
"In fact, the complainant is an employee highly respected and admired by the facilities team," the Philadelphia university said in a statement this week.
La Salle said it interviewed all 21 members of the maintenance and repair department and though the school could not determine who hanged the rope, university officials believe the incident on the morning of Oct. 28 was a show of concern about new leadership and what changes might occur on the heels of the school's hiring of a private company to run janitorial services.
"It was unfortunate that this is the way they chose to express that," said La Salle spokeswoman Jaine Lucas. "... It inadvertently created an offensive work environment due to the racial connotations commonly associated with a hanging rope."
No employees were fired as a result of the incident, but all of the members of that department "received one-on-one behavioral training, which included a thorough review of the university's anti-harassment and appropriate conduct policies," La Salle said in a statement.
The complainant did not return a call for comment.
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