Four students at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., received disciplinary action after hanging a life-size cardboard cutout of Sen. Barack Obama from a tree on campus.
A university employee discovered the cutout image at 7 a.m. on Sept. 23, and it was immediately removed.
The cutout included a hate message for minority students in the university scholarship program called Act Six. The sign attached to the cutout read “Act Six Reject.”
In an effort to attract more minority students, George Fox implemented Act Six in 2007. It offers full scholarships to a group of multicultural students who are emerging urban leaders.
“We currently have 17 students in the program,” said university spokesman Rob Felton. “We add 10 new students each year and expect to have 40 participants in a few years.”
A statement released by school officials said the university led an internal investigation to identify the four students responsible for hanging the cutout.
Felton said disciplinary actions involved suspensions and community service for all four students but the students will be allowed to return to the university if they choose to do so and meet the expectations.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits the university from further commenting about the identities of the students, their involvement in the incident and the specific sanctions against them.
After discovering the cutout, the university contacted the Newberg Police Department, which determined that no state laws had been broken. The FBI was also contacted, and investigations are under way to determine if any federal civil rights laws have been broken.
George Fox is a Christian university founded by Quaker pioneers in 1891 and has 3,200 students enrolled.
“About 75 percent of the undergraduate population is Caucasian, but that number has dropped from 84 percent in 2005,” Felton said. “In terms of diversification, we have made pretty big strides in recent years.”
The university president, board of trustees and student government condemned the cutout display.
“The incident was wrong, offensive and completely inappropriate. It does not reflect the George Fox students whom I serve,” said Joey Bianco, student body president. “We are a campus that reflects the love of Christ. We are students who care for and support one another.”
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