Black Student Sentenced in Hate Crime Hoax at Trinity International University

In a well-publicized incident last year, Alicia Harden, an African-American student at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, admitted to writing letters filled with racial slurs and threats to two fellow black students. Harden admitted to police that she was unhappy at the university and perpetrated the hoax so that her parents would bring her home fearing for her safety on campus. Blacks make up about 13 percent of the student body at the university.

Harden was sentenced earlier this month to two years’ probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. She also must pay $2,000 in restitution to the university.