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More “white heritage” posters found at Iowa State University

AMES – New “white heritage” posters have been found at Iowa State University, causing a big uproar on campus. This is the second time this has...
White Heritage Posters Found Again at ISU_07045084-159532

AMES – New “white heritage” posters have been found at Iowa State University, causing a big uproar on campus. This is the second time this has happened at ISU in the past month – and some students think they know why.

University police say they found 15 posters early Tuesday morning that were plastered onto ten buildings and several signs across campus. Authorities spent a couple hours taking them down.

And for students at Iowa State, the revelation that new posters depicting white supremacy were found on campus is disturbing.
 
“I think it’s kind of just rude that people would decided to put up posters commenting about others’ backgrounds and their cultures and try to say that one thing is better than others,” said ISU freshman Sarah Heideman.
 
“I was just really surprised by it, like I just didn’t expect it out of a place like this because it’s just such a great campus, everyone’s awesome here, you just don’t expect that out of a place like this,” said ISU freshman Quinn Celske said.
 
But this has happened before. Just three weeks ago, 20 posters were found.
 
“There was such a big reaction to the first ones, and even the president took time to make a video about how bad they were, and then to have them happen again is kind of shocking,” said ISU freshman Blake Danek.
 
Iowa State University President Steven Leath releaseda  statement saying. “These posters and messages of racism, bigotry, and bias are causing students, students, faculty, and staff to feel threatened and fearful. We will not tolerate this and we cannot let these reprehensible acts divide us.”
 
But something students can agree on, is why they think the posters have appeared – the 2016 election.
 
“Just Donald Trump with what he’s been saying, it kind of triggered something in some people’s minds where they think it’s okay to do that, but it’s not,” Danek said.
 
“I think yeah it brought out a lot of stuff regarding white supremacy and racism and everything like that, I think has a lot to do with what he said,” Celske said.
 
And despite the divisive campaign and its result, some students have a clear message they want to share.
 
“No matter what there is to your background, that everybody just should be welcome no matter if it’s here at Iowa State just anywhere in the United States,” Heideman said.
 
Students say there has been a lot of tension on campus because of the election. The university help conversations last week as “safe spaces” to discuss the results. But those were not in response to the outcome of the election, as they were planned weeks in advance.
 
Some Republican lawmakers in Iowa have been criticizing those spaces – what they are calling “cry rooms,” saying they are costing taxpayers money. But ISU tells Local 5 that the events are not on-going and no funding was needed for them.

University police are still investigating the white heritage posters they found Tuesday morning.

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