Critics said the college failed to act swiftly or decisively after the fliers were distributed, and more than 100 students rallied under the school's landmark chime tower Tuesday to promote unity and diversity and to protest the college's response.
Clark College President Bob Knight -- who has been criticized for not taking a tougher stance -- attended the rally, but only made himself known when a student speaker wondered aloud where he was.
Knight said in an interview that the college's hands are tied, but students at the rally said it needs to do more.
"They need to quit hiding behind the First Amendment," said Vannak Kong, a second-year student at Clark College who helped organize the event. "I think that was an abuse of the freedom of speech."
The concern started early last month when students reported the presence of white supremacist fliers on the 16,000-student campus.
Knight ordered the fliers removed that day because they were distributed improperly under school policy, but the school didn't publicly respond till days later. That response came from a vice president who is temporarily leading the school's diversity initiatives. To some, it seemed the college was brushing off the incident.
"The students didn't hear the voice of the administration," Debra Jenkins, an early childhood education professor and member of the school's cultural pluralism committee, said at the rally. "That voice is still yet to be heard."
Knight sent an e-mail the week after the fliers were distributed saying that threats against members of the campus community wouldn't be tolerated, and the college invited people to comment at a previously scheduled public forum Oct. 18.
The 90-minute meeting drew 250 students and staff members, The Columbian newspaper reported. There, Nathan Goncalves -- sporting a navy blue uniform with a swastika -- claimed responsibility for the fliers and defended them.
He was the first to speak, and he read his flier aloud within the three minutes all speakers were allotted. Others who spoke criticized the fliers and Clark College's reaction.
Early this month, a second set of fliers -- these more overt, listing statistics suggesting nonwhites are inferior -- was approved by the school's attorney general and posted on bulletin boards around campus. The school says it has no choice.
"We're a state institution. Legally, I have to do that," Knight said Tuesday. "I wish we didn't have to allow them to do that, but free speech is protected."
Fourth-year student Ash Lehmann, who led the rally, said Clark College's administration isn't taking its students seriously.
"They're riding a fine line," Lehmann said. "I understand that. But the administration needs to respect that this is a diverse campus."
Knight said perhaps he should have been the one to e-mail students and staff after the fliers first appeared, but at that time he thought it would only spread the message.
"If I can do something a little differently and help people through this, I'm open to that," he said. "I will not be satisfied if one student is scared at college. We're going to do everything we can to make people feel safe."
Knight said the campus needs to continue having conversations about the issue. Two forums are planned this week for students, and the school plans to continue implementing its diversity objectives, which include training for administrators and opening a diversity resource center.
Oregon Live
