Race Relations on Campus Database

Periodically, JBHE Weekly Bulletin will publish a selection of racial incidents that have occurred on the campuses of colleges and universities. Here are the latest incidents:

• Two white male students at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, wore tennis skirts and dressed in blackface to impersonate Serena and Venus Williams for a campus costume party. In a message to the campus community, the vice provost for student affairs stated that the students were unaware of the historical context of their actions. (Easton Express-Times, 5-17-10)

• An interracial couple attending a football game at Pennsylvania State University were verbally abused by other fans in the grandstand. The couple, who wore the colors of the opposing team, were subjected to racial taunts including the word “nigger.” (York Dispatch, 11-23-10)

• A poster was displayed at West Chester University in Pennsylvania announcing the meeting of a support group for white students who “feel underrepresented on campus.” The administration determined that there was no white student groups and that the poster was meant solely to spark a discussion of racial issues on the university campus. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 12-2-10)