FBI finds no hate bias; APSU won't discipline student

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A display of six colored nooses found Monday, and the perceived hate crime they symbolized, caused many at Austin Peay State University to be concerned for their welfare.

But while many saw the yarn nooses as a threat to both African-American and LGBTQ students on campus, as well as offensive to those dealing with PTSD and suicidal thoughts, an investigation revealed Tuesday that the installation was an art project for a sculpture class that had not gone through the full approval process.

"We are all out of comfort zone on this one," Dr. Alisa White, Austin Peay’s president, said. "In this particular situation, our process failed."

The student will not receive disciplinary action for the project that was “meant to address the cycle of death and rebirth that is represented by the arrival of spring,” said the student in question via a written statement read at a forum APSU held Tuesday afternoon.

The name of the student has not been released.

'Disturbing' hanging nooses at APSU may be art project

Noose removal

Campus police received a call about the nooses at 5 p.m. Monday and proceeded to try and determine if it was a sanctioned art project. The six nooses made of crocheted yarn in different colors were removed 45 minutes later when it was determined that it was in the best interest of safety and public welfare, university spokesman Bill Persinger said during the forum.

Both the studentand the art department chairman were supportive of the removal of the art project.

“There was no context give. No explanation. Obviously, that changes when someone clearly communicates what is art,” said Derek van der Merwe, vice president for advancement, communication and strategic initiatives. “I think the police were very clear they didn’t understand if it was art or not art. And based upon that, it has to be viewed as a hate symbol and removed.”

Van der Merwe said if some context had been provided for the project, it would have been subject to review to determine if it was appropriate for that time and place, instead of immediately being taken down.

Under the obscene materials clause of the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities clause in the student handbook, “the distribution and display of obscene materials is prohibited by the laws of Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-902).” The clause is defined as materials that the average person would find "depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct; and the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”

Many in the community took to social media to express concern about the nooses, and one student, senior communications major Reuben Harris, decided to organize a “Walk to Student Affairs” early Tuesday afternoon in an effort to show concern for the display on campus.

Harris and the group of approximately 20 were met by David Davenport, the university’s director of university recreation and diversity officer, in the Morgan University Center. Davenport discussed many of Harris’ concerns before the community forum about the art project.

Forum concerns

Members of the Austin Peay community were invited to ask questions concerning the display and the decisions made around it, following an introduction that laid out the details of the removal of the installation.

Once it was revealed that the university was not going to take disciplinary action, several asked for clarification on why and how that decision was made, as well as sharing their distaste for the idea that the student’s intent was held above the hurt the display had inflicted on the student body.

A local pastor called out that something should be done about the student in question because “when you do something wrong, there is a punishment that is supposed to be attached with that. You don’t just sweep it under the rug.”

“I know you want me to act by taking some sort of severe action against that student, and frankly it would make it easier if we did. But I don’t think it is the right thing to do, and I have to be responsible for that as well,” White said during the question and answer portion of the forum.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, the university released a statement that the FBI will no longer pursue an investigation into the intent of the project.

The FBI had been sent by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville on Tuesday morning to determine if there was hate bias in the message.

Other major concerns brought up included that students were not aware of the historical ramifications of certain symbols and the need to turn this into a learning situation to avoid a repeat offense.

Other cases

In the past few years, nooses have been found hanging at several universities.

The most recent of these cases include a noose left in a tree at Duke University and two former fraternity brothers placing a noose and a Confederate flag around the neck of a statue honoring the first black student at the University of Mississippi.

Austin Reed Edenfield and Graeme Phillip Harris pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees because of their race or color, according to the Washington Post.

This is not the first time that a noose has been found on APSU’s campus. In 2005 a student was expelled for putting up a noose. The difference between these two cases is the intent of the student, according to White.

Moving forward

Davenport said this is a teachable moment and will specifically be used to fill diversity needs on campus.

“Education is a component. Education is key,” Davenport said. “Unfortunately racism and sexism and all the other isms, they are alive and well. They are not going to go away. The only thing we can do is try to educate the individuals the best that we can and say ‘Hey, this is what it is.’ ”

Reach Autumn Allison at aallison@theleafchronicle.com or 931-245-0248. Follow her on Twitter: @Aallison25.