CARBONDALE, Ill. (U-WIRE) — Sometime Wednesday evening the Saluki Pride Rocks at Southern Illinois University were defaced, and it remains unclear who is responsible.
The Saluki Rainbow Network painted the rocks last week in celebration of National Coming Out Week. The rocks were painted Tuesday in colorful rainbows, and Thursday morning they were defaced with one big, white word — “FAG.”
Jason Vaughan, treasurer for SRN, said this is the first incident of this nature to take place on the SIUC campus that he knows of.
“It makes me wish that people could participate on a campus,” Vaughan said. “It happened in a campus community that values tolerance and a multiplicity of ideas, and that’s why it makes me sad.”
Mike Gary, co-director of SRN, said he is trying to look at it like a practical joke but said it may affect people considering coming out.
“If people are trying to come out or thinking about coming out, this might frighten them,” Gary said.
Gary also said that in his two and a half years with SRN, this is the first time something this blatant has happened.
The SIUC Police could not be reached after repeated phone calls.
Although board members of SRN value the idea of freedom of speech, in a meeting Wednesday afternoon, they came to the conclusion that this is a hate crime.
Accompanying the word “FAG” were three other letters — “ATO.”
Alpha Tau Omega President Shawn Drone said he really doesn’t know what’s going on and that he is trying everything he can to figure this out.
“I don’t think it was any of our guys that would do this,” Drone said. “It’s dumb to do this, but it’s even dumber to put your name on it.”
The possibility of fraternity rivalry has popped into Drones’ mind, but he said that it’s common and doesn’t want to make any official statement in that direction.