Even though University of Maryland police are investigating the discovery of a noose hanging from a tree on the College Park campus, students and university officials on Monday were unanimous in their assessment that race relations at the school are generally good.
In fact, many students said the incident might serve to bring the university community even closer together.
“I think the university prides itself on being diverse and it definitely is,” said senior Shadae Paul, a black English major whose family is from Trinidad. “At least everyone on campus has at least one friend of another race.”
Student government President Andrew Friedson said he isn’t aware of any serious racial problems since 1999.
“It’s not anything anyone saw coming,” Friedson, who is white, said of the noose incident.
On Friday afternoon, campus police responded to reports of a noose hanging from a tree outside the Nyumburu Cultural Center, an African-American hub near the student union.
Campus police spokesman Paul Dillon said a maintenance worker took the noose down prior to the arrival of police. Dillon said police have a witness who recalled noticing the noose about two weeks ago, but they had no suspects as of Monday afternoon. Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
“It might bring us closer together, said Courtney Brown, 19, a sophomore who is both black and Japanese. “We don’t want to be known for having a noose hung in a tree.”
According to Derron Thweatt, 22, a black senior, racism between students generally is not an issue. “I think it can definitely bring students together,” he said of the incident.
