Penn Reacts to Racial Death Threats

PHILADELPHIA--A series of recent racially-motivated threatening messages to student leaders and the DuBois College House have elicited a strong reaction from students and administrators at the University of Pennsylvania.

Telephone death threats were directed to Undergraduate Assembly chairman Liz Cooper and Black Student League president Dwayne Everett on November 2. Other death and bomb threats have been received by the DuBois College House, a Black student organization, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported last week.

University President Sheldon Hackney and 21 other University officials issued a strongly-worded condemnation of racial threats on October 26. "I'm really at a loss to explain how this kind of behavior can be here at this time," Hackney said, adding, "I think it is something that those of us who are white should begin to take action against."

The Philadelphia Police Department has uncovered suspects in its investigation of the matter and has already established that many of the threats were sent by the same individuals, and that some of the suspects are members of the university community.