OSWEGO -- Action News has confirmed with State University of New York at Oswego officials that they are investigating a noose that was found in a tree on campus.
On Saturday, a rope tied into a noose and draped in a tree turned up on the lake shoreline near the boundary between campus and the city. The university's president sent out a letter to the school community, expressing concern and saying acts of bias will not be tolerated on campus.
Here is the full text of President Deborah Stanley's letter.
Yesterday we received a report from University Police that on Saturday a rope tied into a noose and draped in a tree was discovered on the lake shoreline near the boundary between our campus and the city. The noose was reported as being generally out of sight, but the fact that it was near or on college property is reason for me to share my concern and to emphatically state that acts of bias will not be tolerated on this campus.
University Police is continuing its investigation of this incident, and I am meeting with student leadership to discuss it.
As you know, I have written to our community on several occasions to emphasize that we must not be indifferent to acts of hatred or ignorance whether they occur as racist graffiti or nooses, anti-Semitic language, or homophobic words. In fact, we must express our concern and outrage when any member of our community needs our support. Doing so brings us together to reject acts that contradict our values. Our community, on this campus and off, in all our many communities, is only as well, only as whole, only as powerful as we together make it.
I remind all members of our campus that it is the duty of faculty, staff and students to report behaviors intended to disrupt the lives of any members of our community. Reports can go to University Police, Residence Life, Judicial Affairs and/or Human Resources, depending on the nature of the incident. Please feel free to contact those offices if you have any information to share.
Deborah F. Stanley
President
This isn't the first time such instances have occurred at SUNY Oswego. Last year, racist graffiti and a noose turned up on campus. The racist graffiti was found painted inside Funnelle Hall, there was a racial slur written outside Seneca Hall. There were also reports of a noose found on campus, but SUNY officals say a substanial investigation failed to produce any evidence of such an incident.
