Wheeler Hall racial incident refers to dating hall fundraiser as a 'slave auction'
A Wheeler Hall resident posed in a Snapchat story with the caption "Prepare to buy your boi at the slave auction."
The series of racial incidents taking place on campus continued Feb.11, when a residence hall's fundraiser was compared to a "slave auction."
Wheeler Hall, located in the Towers residential building at Central Michigan University, hosted its third charity date auction to raise money for the Humane Society. Before the event at 8:30 p.m., a third-floor resident posted a Snapchat story with the caption, "Prepare to buy your boi at the slave auction."
A screen shot of the image was taken by a resident and sent to Wheeler Hall's Inclusion Assistant and Residence Hall Director.
An announcement was made by the RHD calling the caption offensive.
This event follows several other incidents which have taken place at CMU throughout the 2018-19 academic year.
A whiteboard in Sweeney Hall was covered with racist and misogynistic language and was followed by an appearance of propaganda promoting the "Blood and Soil" white nationalistic slogan.
President Robert Davies said he found out about the Feb. 11 incident at the Board of Trustees Trustee-Student Liaison Committee meeting on Feb. 13.
Sparta junior Australyah Coleman, president of CMU's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said the continuation of these events will negativity affect enrollment.
"If I was a student that was picking my college I would have a hard time coming to Central seeing the amount of events that have taken place in the past three months and not seeing the responses we need," Coleman said.
Coleman is also the Assistant Secretary of the Michigan State Conference Youth and College Division and oversees all collegiate chapters throughout Michigan and their youth divisions.
"They haven't had as many (incidents) as we've had in the pass three months," she said. "I think that speaks a lot."
Student Government Association Vice President Lyndi Rose said the administration's lack of response to Monday's incident adds to a lack of transparency and communication throughout the university.
At the meeting, Wheeler Hall's IA Ambrean Ford, a Detroit senior, said the event further expands the divide students of color experience at CMU, which she hears about on a daily basis.
"With what happened on Monday, I really hope that administration understand that your response is the real answer if they belong here," Ford said.
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