Kutztown rejects white nationalist recruitment posters on campus

Jacob Morrow won't be intimidated. "Obviously, the people who put these up don't want to see black men and women graduating," the Kutztown University senior said Friday, days after recruitment fliers for a white nationalist group were posted around...

Kutztown rejects white nationalist recruitment posters on campus

Jacob Morrow won't be intimidated.

"Obviously, the people who put these up don't want to see black men and women graduating," the Kutztown University senior said Friday, days after recruitment fliers for a white nationalist group were posted around campus.

"I'm going to get my education and graduate," he continued. "This doesn't change a thing for me."

The posters are photographs of Greek statues with slogans such as "let's become great again," "protect your heritage" and "serve your people." They are part of an effort by an alt-right group called Identity Evropa, an "American-based identitarian organization dedicated to promoting the interests of People of European Heritage," according to the group's Facebook page.

Kutztown University, PA. #ProjectSiege pic.twitter.com/ztGxswmFIA

-- IDENTITY EVROPA (@IdentityEvropa) February 7, 2017

Morrow, an African-American electronic media major and Pittsburgh native now living in Harrisburg, said the fliers are disturbing to see on college campuses. Such messages serve not only to recruit, but can also to drive minorities away from higher education, he said, calling on others to stand up against it.

"These are people that are out to hurt others that are different from them," Morrow said. "I hope that as a university we can come together and stand strong. ... This (doesn't) have to be a black-white thing. This can be an everybody thing."

The posters' presence was reported by The Reading Eagle and the Raging Chicken Press, a left-leaning independent news blog by a Kutztown English professor, and was the subject of discussion on social media where at least one professor was said to be offering extra credit to students who turned the missives into origami.

Identity Evropa's "Project Siege" involves posting flyers on college campuses around the country. The effort is described on the group's website as "the beginning of a long term cultural war of attrition against the academia's Cultural Marxist narrative that is maintained and propagated into society through the indoctrination of the future managerial class."

The California-based group sells the posters and stickers on its website and posts on social media when they appear on a new campus.

The posters also appeared on the Penn State campus in Berks County this week, according to the Identity Evropa Twitter feed. The two appear to be the only schools in the area so far where the fliers have been spotted.

Penn State (Berks Campus), PA. #ProjectSiege pic.twitter.com/qagwWHVwhw

-- IDENTITY EVROPA (@IdentityEvropa) February 8, 2017

Kutztown became aware of the posters Tuesday night, university spokesman Matt Santos said. President Kenneth S. Hawkson sent a message to students the following day.

"While we must keep in mind that all individuals have the right to free speech on our campus, our university rejects all forms of racism, bigotry and discrimination," Hawkson said in the message on the university's website. "Kutztown University highly values and respects all campus constituents and celebrates diversity. We will continue to advocate for an environment wherein all those associated with our university can feel valued and safe."

Another Kutztown senior, Kevin Kaminski, of Bridgewater, N.J., said the white nationalistic ideology doesn't fit on campus.

"Personally, I'm not a fan of any sort of ideology like that. ... We're all people," he said. "It looks like they're trying to quote-unquote protect their heritage. ... I don't want anything like that around my campus."

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

 

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