The graffiti wall by Bentley Hall was painted over with the words "Build The Wall!!" and "Trump 2016" on Thursday.
The graffiti wall by Bentley Hall was found painted over with the words "Trump 2016" and "Build The Wall!!" on Thursday.
Some Ohio University students were upset by the display.
“I felt disgust, frustration and I expected more from this campus,” Joshelyn Smith, a senior studying communication and public advocacy, said.
The Hispanic and Latino Student Union at OU put together an emergency meeting that took place in OU's Multicultural Center after finding out about the mural and ultimately painted over it at 3 p.m. Thursday.
“The goal of the meeting was to start a discussion," Carla Triana, Hispanic and Latino Student Union president, said. "We heard about (the mural) at 9 this morning, and we had to do something instantaneously. We had to educate people on why this was offensive."
Jordan Hummel, an OU student who runs the @OUforTrump16 Twitter account, said the students behind the account weren't involved with the painting.
"I think the marking could have used a better slogan to represent Trump and his supporters," Hummel said in an email. "Although, we do like seeing people coming out in support for Trump."
At the meeting, Triana started off with an explanation of why the message written on the graffiti wall was upsetting to her.
“The fact that it said 'Trump 2016' isn’t offensive," Triana said. "The 'build a wall' part is offensive."
The meeting was structured as an open discussion as attendees took turns voicing their concerns. Many people said the Trump graffiti added to a feeling of being unsafe on campus after a Black Lives Matter logo was vandalized and an OU student encountered someone shouting the N-word earlier this academic year.
Angela Harris, a group coordinator at Counseling and Psychological Services, said those feelings of fear could have dire results.
“Racial psychological trauma is real," Harris said. "It comes from a history of being discriminated against. This fear many people are describing needs to be acknowledged and addressed or it will turn into anxiety. People will begin to think, ‘I should transfer because I don’t feel safe.' ”
The discussion moved to the need for cultural competency classes that would be required for everyone to take. Such classes are being developed, according to a previous Post report.
“It’s important to learn about different cultures and I don’t understand why we don’t have required cultural competency classes," Simone Anderson, a sophomore studying theater, said. "Instead of reacting to these kinds of events, why don’t we try to be proactive and educate ourselves? That’s how we can fix this."
OU President Roderick McDavis was in attendance and assured students that he heard their concerns and was determined to take steps on campus to create a culture of understanding at OU.
"I am upset because we are repeating the same thing," McDavis said during the event. "We had the same conversation in December. What’s on the wall isn’t right. I am offended. We should all be offended."
McDavis outlined steps he believed could help with cultural competency, such as hiring a more diverse staff and working to have some kind of cultural competency element during orientation. He encouraged students to speak out to their professors and the chairs of their departments about those desires.
"They need to hear it from you too," McDavis said. "It’s one thing if they hear it from me, but it's important if they hear it from students as well."
McDavis and Jenny Hall-Jones, dean of students and interim vice president for Student Affairs, said the university will be releasing a statement addressing the message written on the wall.
Triana invited everyone to join and help repaint the wall with what she considered a more "positive message."
“It was great to see many different diverse people come together and express solidarity. Now we are going to repaint the wall with a positive message,” Triana said.
The group headed to the graffiti wall to paint "Build Bridges Not Walls."
“It’s not an anti-Trump message at all. It's us saying we need to come together,” delfin bautista, director of the LGBT Center, said.
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