Report exposes hate messages
on University of Missouri campus
TheManeater
University of Missouri
(U-WIRE) COLUMBIA, Mo. — Hate
messages around campus have prompted one
student group to act.
The Triangle Coalition has published
MU’s first Hate Report. The report details
incidents of hate speech and gives personal
accounts of harassment on campus. It also
includes field research about the effects of
hate speech.
“MU has for too long been on the losing
end of the battle against hate with not much
progress on the horizon,” said Michael
Watters, president of the Triangle Coalition,
in the conclusion of the Hate Report.
The report, issued April 2, has been pre
sented to administration, curators and local
and statewide media.
Many members of the Triangle Coalition
found the report’s hate log, which contained
graffiti found around campus, to be the most
disturbing portion. Much of die graffiti was
of a graphic and violent nature and, accord
ing to the report, more than 70 percent was
aimed at homosexual students.
Watters, who typed the hate log, found
many of the entries especially disturbing.
“When I reflected on what I had done I
realized I had typed 130 things about me;
about how people wanted to kill me,” he
said.
Anthony Cage and Janet Neuman co
wrote the portion of the report “How Hate
Hurts.” Cage said he and Neuman had to
take time off from compiling information
because it depressed them. Much of the in
formation pertained to the increased suicide
attempt and re-attempt rates of young ho
mosexuals.
“You sit there and realize that was you a
few years ago,” Cage said.
References to AIDS were overwhelming
in hate speech aimed at gays, according to
the report.
“AIDS kills fags dead,” and the response
“I’m just so happy you’ll die of AIDS and
rot in hell,” were written on a second-floor
study cubicle in Ellis Library.
Increased intolerance of homosexual
lifestyles in some places on campus were
evident in the report.
The words “These stalls are proof that
racism, homophobia, and ignorance, are
omnipresent at this university,” and the re
sponse “That was a pretty big word for a
fag,” were written in a men’s bathroom in
Middlebush Hall.
Eleven buildings on campus were can
vassed for hate speech and, according to the
report, eight contained offensive material.
Buildings graffiti was found in included
the General Classroom Building, Arts and
Sciences and Middlebush Hall, as well as
both student unions.
ima Mcuamei, wno participated in the
“hate runs,” said site had noticed much of
the graffiti occurred in places where fresh
man students spend most of their time. She
suggested optional seminars and classes
could help ease tension first-year students
might feel when faced with people with dif
ferent sexual orientations.
The Hate Report will be available to stu
dents for $3. The information in the report
will be added to the TViangle Coalition’s web
site. But Watters said he wasn’t sure when
the information would be available.
The Triangle Coalition’s web site can be
accessed at http://www.missouri.edu/~tri
angle.
Watters said compiling the report was the
most challenging and rewarding thing he
had ever done.
“We are proud and that means the world
to me,” he said.
In a press conference the same day the
report was issued, Everett Dietle, coordina
tor of the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Resource
Center, said the administration had reacted
positively to the report and some had talked
about setting up meetings to discuss it.
Dietle said he could not say which ad
ministrators had responded.
Habitat for Humanity hunts
for housing-repair volunteers
Hand and Heart project
looks to make valuable
changes and experiences.
By Lindsay Young
Staff Reporter
In its first effort to spend a day making Lin
coln houses more livable, Habitat for Human
ity believes Hand and Heart project volunteers
will have their eyes opened.
Habitat for Humanity’s Lincoln campus
chapter is looking for more than 300 volun
teers to help out with its first annual Hand and
Heart project. The project is April 19, and will
run from 8:30 a.m. to about 5 p.m.
Volunteers will help with various repair jobs
on houses chosen with the help of Urban De
velopment and the First Christian Church.
Jobs will range from painting and spack
ling to installing porch rails on existing Habi
tat for Humanity houses. The jobs vary in skill,
some requiring more direction than others.
Katie Morrill, Hand and Heart project co
ordinator, is working to gain support for the
first-ever project.
She said people who want to work with the
project should focus on what it is about and the
good it will do.
“They should try to open their eyes to a new
experience, which would help them see how
some people actually are forced to live and what
circumstances force them to live like this,” said
Morrill, who also is a UNL Distance Educa
tion Department staff member.
Chris Stone, advertising chairwoman for the
event, said volunteers need to work on the
houses and help out in areas such as driving
work groups to sites, packing food and trans
porting food to sites.
Stone, a freshman dietetics major, said even
if people can’t work that day, they can volun
teer to drive, which would take an hour the
morning or afternoon of the project. Packing
lunches would take place the night before.
But Habitat for Humanity needs workers
more than anything, Stone said.
Stone said she encourages all campus orga
nizations to get involved. Help has already come
from the community in the form of lunches do
nated by Hy-Vee grocery stores. Morrill said
money donations also are important since they
are used to buy repair supplies. Some supplies
also are being donated by the Lincoln/Lancaster
Habitat for Humanity.
Those interested can contact Morrill at 477
7764 or Jason Dubs at 436-8952. Habitat for
Humanity’s e-mail address is
habitat@unlinfo.unl.edu.
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