4 students confess to racist incident; George Fox officials attend forum

   PORTLAND — Following confessions by four George Fox University students that they were involved in a racist incident in September on the Newberg campus, university officials last month met with residents of Portland’s historically black neighborhood about the incident.
   As reported by the Newberg Graphic, the university representatives learned how much pain the incident has caused and expressed their own deep dismay at what happened.
   Attending the Oct. 3 forum at Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church on behalf of George Fox were President Robin Baker; Joel Perez, dean of transitions and inclusion; and representatives of the university’s Act Six program. They were joined by representatives of Portland Central Young Life, which recruits students into the Act Six program. They answered questions and comments from about 50 people who came to the meeting.
   Following an investigation by George Fox administrators, the four students confessed to being involved in the hanging of a cardboard cutout of Sen. Barack Obama from a tree on the university’s academic quad. The incident drew media attention not only nationally but internationally.
   The cutout, which was attached around the neck by fishing line, was discovered and immediately removed by a custodian at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23. A sign, which read “Act Six Reject,” was taped to the cutout. Act Six is a leadership and scholarship initiative that provides training and full scholarships to urban student leaders from the Portland area.
   The university’s Office of Student Life identified the students in late September and completed a disciplinary hearing. Penalties for those involved included immediate long-term suspension and community service.
   Because of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the university is not allowed to identify the names of students nor the specific disciplinary actions taken.
  “Regardless of the students’ intent, the image of a black man hung from a tree is one of the most hurtful symbols of racism in American history,” said Brad Lau, vice president of student life. “Displays such as this have no place on a campus that is dedicated to living out the teachings of Jesus.”
Baker announced the investigation results to the George Fox community at a campus meeting on Sept. 30.
   On its web site, the university issued a detailed statement which included the following: “We want the world to know that we take diversity and racial reconciliation very seriously and that this abhorrent act that was senselessly carried out by four students does not in any way reflect the commitments and beliefs of this institution. There is no excuse for this behavior.”
   In response to this incident, the university is taking several steps to reaffirm its commitment to ethnic diversity. Among them is formation by Baker of an advisory council on diversity, a multicultural group of external community members who will help the university address this incident and future diversity issues.
   Darlene Ortega, a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and a George Fox alumna, will chair the group.
  “Despite its many diversity efforts, the university recognizes that it still has more work to do in this area and looks forward to partnering with community leaders from diverse backgrounds to move forward,” the web site statement continued..
  “Together, our goal is to produce a university that truly reflects the love of Jesus and a commitment to racial reconciliation.”
   According to the Newberg newspaper, Baker at the forum defended the university’s decision to allow the four students to eventually return to the school after serving suspensions. He explained that totally prohibiting them from coming back would do nothing to resolve the issues that the incident raised.
   A woman who attended the forum said that dealing with the students wasn’t attacking the racist attitudes at their root, and that the university should instead be talking to their parents.
   A man at the forum agreed with her that the incident was more indicative of the homes in which the four students were raised rather than of George Fox.

.