Series of racist messages a 'very rude awakening' at University of Virginia

AP ^ | 29 Aug 05 | DIONNE WALKER

[NavVet]

RICHMOND, Va. — University of Virginia officials are considering making hate speech a violation of the campus honor code after racist messages were scrawled on doors and shouted from passing cars.

[Tired of Taxes]

There may have been a few tensions here and there, but my husband seems to talk of his days at UVA as if he enjoyed that time. He was offered a full scholarship to a university in PA, but he turned it down to go to UVA - that's how badly he wanted to go there. It's my understanding that it was among one of the best colleges for engineering.

What do you mean by "shanty on the Lawn?"

[Incredulous]

I graduated from UVA in the 70's.

I do not know the details of this story but it doesn't ring true and I go back to Charlottesville often. I also do not think the student body would allow hate speech to become an honor violation.

Remember UVA is one of the few relatively conservative schools left and the media would love to trash it.

[pa mom]

My thoughts, too.

But then again, there are idiots everywhere and this may not even have been students.

I don't want my love of the place to blind me to any possiblities.

[pa mom]

It really is a wonderful school. Brilliant students, beautiful grounds and great parties. What more do you need?

About the shanties: At Dartmouth, a student group built shanties (as they were called) to protest apartied. A group at UVA did the same, and they were torn down a day later.

[Tired of Taxes]

Thanks for the explanation.

I asked my husband again tonight about UVA, and of course he got one of those smiles on his face and launched into his college days stories. ;-) He was there around '84-'86, but he doesn't remember a shanties-type protest, so maybe that happened in the later 80's.

In any case, he did tell me again that there was racial tension there. But overall his experience was a good one, at least good enough to make him break into a smile whenever asked about it. ;-)

Thanks again!