Beginning next semester, Michigan State University will no longer allow the 13,000 students living in its dormitories to put up whiteboards on their doors.
The decision follows a series of racist and sexist posts left on dorm whiteboards, though the university said no single incident prompted the policy. For instance, the Lansing NAACP recently reported that a black honors student came home to find the N-word written on her dorm room door.
“We’re just seeing that this is not as popular of a communication technique as it used to be,” said Kat Cooper, director of university residential services communications. “Coupled with that, the utility of them has become outweighed by the nuisance.”
Cooper said that racist, sexist or other potentially discriminatory messages are referred to the Office for Institutional Equity, where they are investigated. But because the offensive whiteboard notes are often left anonymously, 99 percent of the time, the university can’t pin down who was responsible, she said.
“It’s a drain on resources. … We’re spending a ton of time and energy administrating it,” Cooper told Heat Street.
She said the new policy is not an issue of free speech, adding that students are encouraged to express themselves in class, on campus, and online.
