NCSU student apologizes for racist graffiti

RALEIGH -- One of four N.C. State University students who had admitted to painting racially charged graffiti in the University's Free Expression Tunnel issued an apology Wednesday.

The apology came hours before the N.C. State student senate, meeting in a special session Wednesday evening, voted to issue a resolution condemning the racist graffiti that was spray-painted a day after the presidential election.

The student, who still has not been publicly named, said he meant no physical harm to anyone. He admits that his statements went too far.

"The statements written in the Tunnel were written with political intentions in mind," he said.

"I am aware that racial differences were brought into play by my words, but I want to ensure the university that no physical harm was intended. My intentions were simply to express my views on the outcome of the election, but went too far.

"I am very sorry for my actions and for the anger and fear brought to NC State. I am also ashamed of the bad light spread on this prestigious university. In addition to my apology, I want to assure the campus that there is no threat to anyone's safety."

The three other students, who helped him paint the graffiti, expressed remorse in a written statement released by a university spokesman Wednesday.

NCSU's chancellor, James L. Oblinger, said he believes the students' apologies are sincere. He said the student who accepted primary responsibility has agreed to participate in diversity training and will be assigned community service.

Oblinger said discussions with university legal counsel determined that there would be no legal grounds for expelling the students. He also said that the primary objective of disciplining students is education.

"Education is our reason for existence," Oblinger said in a statement. "These students now understand that the behavior was hurtful and offensive."

The graffiti had brought considerable unrest at the university and among civil rights activists.

The graffiti included statements such as "Let's shoot that n-- in the head" and "Hang Obama by a Noose." There also were references to the Ku Klux Klan. The paintings were examined by the U.S. Secret Service, which determined the paintings were not a serious threat against President-elect Barack Obama's life.

Greg Doucette, president of the student senate, said the vote on the resolution was 48 in favor, 1 opposed, and 3 abstentions.

"We had a standing-room-only crowd with approximately 100 students in attendance in addition to the 52 senators," he wrote via e-mail Wednesday night.

The resolution was drafted after a committee of the student senate held hearings to listen to students and alumni about what to include, Doucette said.

The resolution has four parts:

* It condemns the four students' acts.

* It calls for the university to punish the students under school regulations and not federal law.

* It encourages university officials to be creative with the students' punishments. For example, Doucette said, the students could be sentenced to do community service at the African-American Cultural Center on campus.

* It calls for a task force appointed by the chancellor to create policies that are explicit toward this type of crime and deal with these acts adequately.

"I can't speak for other senators, but I think the feeling among many is that we're relieved this particular debate is over, and we are looking forward to the next stage of dealing with this incident via the University's Campus Climate Task Force Committee," Doucette said.

This week, William J. Barber, the head of the state NAACP chapter, dismissed N.C. State officials' response to the graffiti as "tepid." In a release, he said he wants to meet with UNC-system President Erskine Bowles to demand aggressive action to incidents he has deemed hate crimes.