Fliers promoting a white supremacist hate group were found on the campus of Webster University on Tuesday, September 5, in what the university said is part of a pattern across the St. Louis area.
The fliers did not contain overt hate speech, but did have the motto and URL of a white supremacist website printed on them. They were posted in various locations around the Webster Groves campus, and the university does not know who distributed them.
“This group has been targeting universities across the United States for the past year, including other universities in the St. Louis region,” Webster’s statement said.
On August 28, the University of Missouri Columbia warned students that fliers advertising a white supremacist group had been posted around campus. The posters there featured a “neo-fascist symbol” and read “looking for young Midwestern patriots.”
A white supremacist newspaper, The First Freedom, was also recently distributed to homes in the Bevo Mill area, KMOV reported.
“Webster University’s Office of Public Safety has determined Webster was one of several universities in the region where this group posted fliers,” a statement from the university read. “At this point in time, there is no evidence that anyone in the university community is connected to the posting of these fliers.”
The fliers were removed due to violating the university’s policy against fliers not created by Webster student groups or offices.
The university’s statement included a rejection of “any speech that promotes hate and intolerant behavior based on a person’s race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, disability, religion or military status.”
This semester, Webster introduced a new inclusivity pledge as part of a student-led campaign to emphasize “diversity, inclusion and respect for one another,” according to Webster News. It was unanimously approved by Webster’s Student Government Association in April.
The full text of the pledge reads, “As a member of the Webster University community, I promise to consciously promote acceptance and demonstrate respect. I will dedicate myself to actively listen to each person’s story. I promise to learn from and embrace differences among identities. I will recognize commonalities and shared experiences. I will practice inclusive language and be open to learning. I promise to educate others to foster an inclusive community that treats every person will dignity and respect. I will honor this commitment in my classes, workplace, personal life, and all other pursuits on and off campus I pledge to make everyone feel safe, valued, and part of our community.”
Webster has consistently achieved high rankings for diversity among U.S. colleges. This year was their 26th year in a row as Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s (DIHE) top-ranked nonprofit university for awarding graduate degrees to African Americans. More than 51 percent of Webster graduate students self-identify as ethnic minorities.
Webster also offers more than 50 scholarships to students from groups underrepresented in higher education, including the Donald M. Suggs Scholarship for undergraduate students through the St. Louis American Foundation.
“’Diversity and inclusion’ isn’t just a catchphrase at Webster, but rather is a system of values that prepare students for their lives after graduation,” said Julian Schuster, Webster’s provost, in a statement about the DIHE list. “Our consistent inclusion on this annual list is testimony of Webster’s unequivocal commitment to our dedicated efforts of building diverse and inclusive environments throughout the world.”
Anyone with information on who posted the white supremacist fliers on campus may contact the university’s Public Safety Office at 314-968-7430 or publicsafety@webster.edu.
Jessica Karins is a student reporter for The American from Webster University.
