Photo Credit: NCPR
In April of 2015, English and Communications Professor John Youngblood of SUNY Potsdam received two racist, homophobic threats against both himself and his family. Youngblood, who has become well known for his “frank discussions” about race over the course of his thirteen years at SUNY Potsdam, is accustomed to honest, sometimes harsh, dialogue in his classrooms, according to NCPR. However, the death threats against his partner, children, and himself took Youngblood by surprise.
On November 11, 2015, the re- ported perpetrator of the hate mail, Amjad “Mark” Hussein, was taken into custody.
This past week, however, a third hate letter was sent to Youngblood. It is similar to the first two in re- spect to its entailment of racist and homophobic language, however, this time, the letter threatens both the professor and the wider campus community.
SUNY Potsdam has responded in a series of emails issued to its
students, in which the university states: “Our top priority is the safety of every individual on our campus, and especially our faculty member and loved ones.”
In addition, the school has issued a temporary state of heightened se- curity, in which side and basement doors will be locked and students will be required to use their key cards to access all residence halls. SUNY Potsdam is also offering a reward of a thousand dollars to any student who provides information leading to “an arrest and conviction of the person or persons behind this incident.”
Professors have taken time out of their classes in an attempt to ad- dress prejudices held by certain stu- dents. University Police have main- tained a presence on the grounds and within the library during the day, and students have taken to a student-created Facebook page to voice current issues present on the campus as well.
The University’s reassurances and frequent police patrols have not entirely calmed students’ fears. Matoaka Riedl, a sophomore at SUNY Potsdam, states: “I feel as
though there is still more work to be done. If we [the students] sit here in silence then we are perpetuating the myth that we are okay with the events occurring around us. I don’t feel safe on this campus, and it’s not setting a good reputation for Pots- dam in the outside world.” Riedl also states that she would prefer a greater police presence on campus during both the day and night, as she fears any attacks would come at the times that officers are not sta- tioned.
Unfortunately, SUNY Potsdam remains just a small piece of the mounting racial tensions present on college campuses nationwide. Recent events at various college campuses, including Yale, Harvard, the University of Missouri, and the University of Oklahoma, reveal what seems to be an increasing rate of racial discrimination on college campuses throughout the U.S.
The widespread responses from students on the aforementioned campuses and outside do give some hope to the otherwise dire circum- stances, but there is still much work that needs to be done regarding this issue.