The Journal

Issue date: 3/9/06 Section: News

PHOTO COURTESY VERNON BETTS - This message was left on a dorm room door on the third floor of Loretto Hall. Betts says officials did not properly respond to the incident.

Freshman Vernon Betts, a social sciences major, said he was stunned when he and a friend returned to his dorm room sometime after 1 a.m. Jan. 29 to find the words "You're a nigger" scribbled on his dry-erase board. Betts said he sat for a few minutes in disbelief before deciding to photograph the message with his cell phone as evidence of the incident.

Betts then notified sophomore Dee Goines, resident assistant of the third floor of Loretto Hall, and showed him the photo he took with his cell phone. Goines reported the incident the next day to Karen Rasure, coordinator of Residential Life.

"He told me he was going to get on it," Betts said of Goines' reaction.

According to Webster University's student handbook, threatening, abusive, or harassing behavior is defined as "physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion and/or other conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person." These acts are described in the handbook as "unacceptable forms of behavior … subject to disciplinary response."

Goines said Rasure suggested he hold a mandatory floor meeting to address the incident. On Jan. 30, Goines went door to door to let the residents know of the emergency meeting, which was held that night.

"Disrespect is not tolerated and stuff like this cannot be tolerated," Goines said in a later interview.

Betts said most of the residents on his floor attended the meeting, but there was little discussion, and some students didn't seem to have a reaction at all.

"Everyone just seemed like, 'Yeah, that's messed up,' but they weren't really saying anything," Betts said.

Rasure said RAs are provided diversity and sensitivity training in the fall as part of regular RA training. However, Goines said issues surrounding diversity were not in depth. He said information was presented just in case such an incident occurred. Goines and Rasure said RAs are trained to handle situations up until a certain point and then they are supposed to contact Rasure or another member of the Residential Life staff.

Continued...

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