OPINION
Vol. 127, No. 117 Monday, April 2, 2018
SHOULD FORT COLLINS BECOME A SANCTUARY CITY? PAGE 8
SPORTS
A&C
SOFTBALL KNOCKS OFF BIG 12 OPPONENT
HOW YOU’RE BEING A WHITE SUPREMACIST
PAGE 10
PAGE 13
Thousands take to CSU campus in demonstration against hate, “bias-motivated incidents” for CSUnite Students carry the CSUnite banner during the event on Thursday afternoon. PHOTO BY TONY VILLALOBOS MAY COLLEGIAN
By Meagan Stackpool & Daniela Navarro @CSUCollegian
More than 2,500 people gathered on CSU’s campus Thursday afternoon in a demonstration of support for students affected by the racially-motivated incidents that occurred on campus between August and the spring semester. The crowd of CSU students, faculty and administration gathered to walk across campus from Newton’s Corner to the Lory Student Center Plaza for CSUnite, a university-sanctioned rally and demonstration intended to be a university-wide response to the
rise in bias-motivated incidents on campus. Beginning with a fake noose in Newsom Hall in August before classes began and including incidents of antisemitic messages in residence halls across campus, the campus has seen a rise in incidents of white supremacy. Most recently, flyers from white supremacist groups were found in academic buildings on campus. Since August, students have asked the CSU administration to have a swifter and stronger response to the incidents. The event began with a speakers at Newton’s Corner, followed by a walk to the Plaza.
At the Plaza on stage, a small selection of students from the University Center for the Arts performed as participants gathered. Albert Bimper Jr., the senior director for ethnic studies and the associate athletic director, and Anarely MarquezGomez, a junior undocumented student on Tony Frank’s student advisory board, delivered opening remarks. “Being here today is not going to change anything,” Marquez-Gomez said. “It is about more than just today. It is about challenging those who have brought hate onto our campus. Not theirs, ours.” After opening remarks,
Blanche Hughes, the vice president for student affairs, and Mary Ontiveros, the vice president for diversity, shared personal stories. But after a few speakers, the program was interrupted. Students Against White Supremacy, a coalition of students protesting white supremacy, took the stage to call out both the CSU administration for not calling “bias-motivated incidents” white supremacy, and condemned a campus conservative group, the CSU chapter of Turning Point USA. “Bias-related incidents are acts of white supremacy and they need to be labeled as so,” said Erica LaFehr, one of the students
in SAWS. “The University made the choice to do nothing despite their power to make real change.” The group directly accused Turning Point USA, a national organization with a local chapter on campus, of white supremacist rhetoric, and said they would not “unite” at the same event with the group. Turning Point USA recently hosted its founder, Charlie Kirk, on the CSU campus, sparking protests and counter-protests by antifa and white supremacists, respectively. The CSU chapter of Turning Point USA endorsed CSUnite in a letter to the editor earlier this week. see CSUNITE on page 5 >>