MCC removes racist Pepe the Frog stickers on campus

Monroe Community College confronted racism on campus again Thursday after someone festooned public spaces with stickers of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that has become a symbol of the alt-right movement.

College officials are investigating the placement of the stickers, which they say violates MCC's standards.

"There’s two levels of inappropriateness here. It certainly is a symbol of racism, and that has no place here at MCC. And it violates our protocol ... and our code of conduct," MCC spokeswoman Cynthia Mapes said Friday. "We consider it an act of vandalism and we are investigating that."

The alt-right is a loosely defined social and political movement based on racism, white nationalism and populism. It has adopted the cartoon Pepe — for no reason inherent to the frog itself — as an emblem.

A student reported on Thursday evening that someone had put a Pepe the Frog sticker on the bottom right corner of a banner hanging in Building 1, the gateway building on MCC's Brighton campus that houses the student center and administrative offices.

The banner advertises a summer study abroad course in the Homeland Security Department, "Advanced Homeland Security Training in Israel."

"I was pretty upset," said the student, Sarah Nocar. She posted pictures of the banner in a Facebook group for Rochester-area progressive liberals, where it quickly drew a flurry of condemnation and demands for action from the college.

Later Thursday evening, MCC security officers removed the sticker from the banner, something Nocar confirmed when she walked by Friday morning.

"I really hope MCC looks at the tapes from that hallway (to see who put it there)," she said. "I think societally we’ve been harboring those people and ideologies, and I hope we don’t continue to protect them by allowing them anonymity."

Nocar also noted the political nature of the banner itself, with its implied approval of contentious security tactics used in Israel against Palestinians.

Mapes said the first Pepe sticker was spotted on campus nine days ago. Subsequently, the stickers appeared in several more public places, she said.

If campus security identifies a student as the person who placed the stickers, he or she could be subject to a grievance procedure for violating MCC's code of conduct, Mapes said.

It is the second controversy over racism this school year for MCC. In late September, a student posted on Twitter: "Shout out to the n----- at mcc who vandalized my confederate flag... you'll be a white mans property soon enough give trump time."

President Anne Kress responded with a balanced message, decrying the hateful speech but noting the student's First Amendment rights. That did not sit right with either the faculty or student governing bodies, both of whom called on her to speak out more forcefully on racism and to work more closely with faculty on increasing diversity among faculty.

That is just one point of friction in an increasingly contentious relationship between Kress and the faculty leadership group. At a board meeting in December, faculty assailed the administration on several fronts, including pay raises and a general lack of communication.

Faculty said they expect more of the same at the next board meeting on Monday afternoon.

Other local college campuses, including the University of Rochester and the College at Brockport, have dealt with similar instances of racism among students. Anti-immigration fliers were circulated last month on the campus of St. John Fisher College in Pittsford.

Alt-right groups have been focusing particular attention on college campuses nationwide, according to numerous media reports.

"This is something that’s being seen across the country, unfortunately," Mapes said.

JMURPHY7@Gannett.com

SORR@Gannett.com