Outrage on campus: Students at Salisbury University demand change following racist vandalism

SALISBURY, Md. – Students at Salisbury University say enough is enough after posts went viral again of racist messages written on the walls of Fulton Hall.

And this time, the words were even more derogatory than before.

“It said ‘kill n*****s,” said junior, Teddy Tesfaye.

What’s even more concerning was a message written on a wall that said quote, ‘Sandy Hook comes to SU’. And words written right next to that were racial slurs specifically targeting the African American community. Leaving many students terrified.

“I don’t know if I’m even safe standing on this campus right now,” said sophomore Chelsea Ofori.

“A lot of us are here until 2 in the morning because that’s when the library closes and I don’t know if I’m allowed to walk back to my place and be safe,” said sophomore Sharon Nlend.

Salisbury University officials released a statement regarding the incident saying, “The University is taking immediate action to increase security on campus, and administrators will continue to meet with students as a long-term plan is determined.” But students we spoke with say those efforts just aren’t enough.

“This is a form of threat, and we all have to be concerned about it. We need to apply that pressure. We need to have that demand so that they can make change,” said senior Ousmane Sarr.

Which is why students took matters into their own hands Monday afternoon holding a protest inside Fulton Hall calling on the University to do more.

“I feel like the only way for something to be done is if the student body themselves comes together and starts working on it. It could be someone in my class. It could be someone in my dorm. Existing right now on this campus is just a risk to my life,” said sophomore Ofori.

And until then, students say it’s important now more than ever before to unify as a university to make sure something like this never happens again.

“This is us at the end of the day. It’s not the minorities; it’s not those of color. It’s all of us. And we should all feel that impact,” said Sarr.