When Brodrick Burse returned to his home from campus Monday night, he found a sign with a racial slur clipped to the doorframe of his second-floor Jardine Apartments residence.
“Beware N*****s Live Here!!! Knock at your own risk,” the sign read.
At about 8 p.m., Burse, junior in mass communications, posted an image on his Twitter. The tweet, which generated more than 300 retweets in less than 24 hours, included the sign in an attached photo.
“It’s 2018 and this was posted on my apartment door. This is still happening here at @KState,” Burse wrote. “I refuse to let this blatant racism stop me from moving onward and upward.”
it’s 2018 and this was posted on my apartment door. this is still happening here at @KState so if isn’t as evident as it already was everyone needs to get out and vote I refuse to let this blatant racism stop me from moving onward and upward. pic.twitter.com/X9PK2Eaw2Q
— fiji 🌐🦋 (@WhoIsBrodrick) November 6, 2018
Kansas State Housing and Dining Services commented on the tweet a couple of hours later saying the poster is being investigated.
K-State HDS does not and will never tolerate racism in its communities. The matter will be investigated.
— KStateHDS (@KStateHDS) November 6, 2018
Just after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, the K-State Twitter account responded similarly, promising updates as they are available.
#KState is investigating the note left last night and is assisting the students involved. We will provide updates as available.
— K-State (@KState) November 6, 2018
Cindy Hollingsworth, executive director of the division of communications and marketing, said there are two investigations that can operate “simultaneously” in cases such as this.
There are not security cameras in the part of Jardine where Burse lives.
“Kansas State University Police respond to an initial call and investigate for any criminal violations,” Hollingsworth said via email. “Additionally, the university’s Office of Institutional Equity, or OIE, investigates any complaints about the violation of the university’s discrimination policy.”
This particular note comes over a year after the white nationalist posters appeared overnight at K-State, bringing with them controversy over free speech and multiculturalism to the Manhattan campus and social media.
In the weeks and months that followed, similar acts including a snapchat referencing the KKK and later debunked car vandalism forced the university to cancel classes for the first KSUnite.
The victims of the posting did not immediately comment.
The Black Student Union opened its Tuesday night meeting to community members to discuss the posting. The meeting lasted more than an hour and a mix of students, faculty and administrators spoke to the group in the open forum.
This is a developing story and the Collegian will provide updates as they are made available.
