BY ANNISTON WEBER
The Fort Hays State University Police are investigating a potential hate crime that occurred on campus Tuesday afternoon.
Kassandra Razo, a friend of the victim, took to Facebook to share the incident on social media.
“I am so disgusted,” Razo said on the post. “I can’t believe anyone would find it worth their time to do something like this to someone who has done nothing to them.”
The post had 58 shares at time of publication, most of which are calling for action to be taken.
The victim of the crime, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the incident happened outside of the Wellness and Fitness Center.
Razo said the victim told her they came out of the gym and noticed the slur on their vehicle. They also told her the wording wasn’t on the car when they first went into the gym, so they knew it happened on campus.
Scrawled across the hood of the victim’s car was a racial slur in large capital letters.
The victim told Razo they believe the vandalization was perpetrated by someone who is seeking attention.
“Fort Hays State University is investigating the report of a potential hate crime incident involving an automobile that was defaced with racist language,” Chief Communications Officer Scott Cason said.
Cason said a criminal investigation has been launched, but there are no hate crime specific protocols that will be part of the investigation.
Senior leadership in the departments of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and the Compliance and General Counsel’s offices are also actively involved in addressing the matter.
In an email sent by Student Affairs, students were notified about the crime and asked to report any information they had about the incident.
“If you want to speak to someone confidentially about this hate crime incident or other incidents of this nature, contact Amy Schaffer at 785-628-4175 or Teresa L. Clounch at 785-628-4276,” the email stated.
Black Student Union President Danzel Major said he wants the victim to know they can always reach out to the BSU or him personally for support.
“In this day and time, this should not be acceptable,” Major said. “We are happy at the swift action the university is taking in dealing with this attack on a student.”
Major went on to commend university President Tisa Mason for “leading the charge to discover the people behind this.”
According to Razo, the victim was able to remove the slur off of the vehicle; however, people should still be aware of this incident occurring.
“[The victim] deserves to feel comfortable at the school they have been attending,” she said.
If you have any information about the hate crime, contact the UPD at (785) 628-5304 or (785) 625-1011 after 4:30 p.m. To share information confidentially, contact Amy Schaffer at (785) 628-4175 or Teresa L. Clounch at (785) 628-4276.