Southern Oregon University says that it is investigating after stickers promoting a white nationalist group were recently placed around the campus.
Though SOU said that the stickers were “attributable to a group espousing white nationalism,” the school has opted not to publicize the group’s name in order to avoid giving them any notoriety.
According to Joe Mosley, SOU’s director of Community and Media Relations, several of the stickers were discovered over the weekend in the central campus area. Another was found on Wednesday near Churchill Hall, but Mosley said that it was likely put there at the same time as the others.
“SOU denounces all acts of bias and will continue its work to create and maintain a diverse, welcoming and inclusive learning environment for all students,” the university said in a statement. “The placement of any material on campus property without approval is prohibited, and the recent posting of white nationalist stickers is a direct violation of SOU policy and values.”
Mosley said that this is the first time that this particular group has been linked to material on the SOU campus, but there have been several recent instances where hate symbols or messages appeared on campus. In May, someone carved a large swastika into an elevator in one of the school’s residence halls.
There is no indication at present that the stickers placed on campus over the past week are linked to any other recent incidents or events, Mosley said. An investigation is ongoing, but Mosley indicated that there were no cameras in the targeted areas.