What is it going to take to make people learn what they should and shouldn’t do? Recently at a local college, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a noose was found in the elevator in one of the residence halls. Initially, with proper reasoning, it was perceived as a racial threat or someone just being a stupid racist. The perpetrator, Andrew Smith, said he found some rope and tied it in a noose and put it in the elevator and was charged with disorderly conduct and a hate crime. 

The Beacon asked some students what they thought of this situation and what they think should be done. “I believe that this is a matter that should be publicized around the campus and taken seriously. Sometimes though people do it as a prank even though it isn’t funny,” says Iyanna Herring ‘20. Lindsay Williams ‘21agrees and suggests, “there should be an open hall about it and the school should ask its students how they are feeling mentally. The school should also look for input to see if people know why or agree/disagree with the noose being put there.” 

Beyond Whitney Young, the Beacon was able to get  feedback from a student at UIUC as well. “The noose was explained by the person who committed the act as ‘artistic expression’ as a way to make it seem as if their intentions were not to be racist,” said Daisha Bryant UIUC ‘23. So what do you think should be done to avoid such artistic pieces in the future? Let’s not have this happen at Whitney Young, we tend to be pretty creative.