Headlining the social media circuit this week is the story of Chennel Rowe, a freshman student at the University of Hartford, who has accused her roommate of harassing her because of her race. The story gained national attention when Rowe posted a 103-minute Facebook Live video about her roommate nightmare. The roommate, Brianna Brochu, was subsequently arrested and charged after admitting to methodically poisoning Rowe during the beginning month of the school year, in order to get her out of the room, according to the New York Post.
This, however, is not an isolated incident. There are many recent reports of incidents happening on campuses across the nation, which includes Framington State University, Boston College and Webster University, just to name a few.
Because of Donald Trump’s rhetoric and the escalation of violent occurrences, it’s easy to see why a lot of people blame him for the racial discord across the country.
Dave Gilbert, of Vice News, claims that students face unsafe spaces at schools and universities, stating that “few places have felt this divide more sharply than school and university campuses since Trumps election.
Maureen Sullivan, of Forbes, however, does not believe that there are more hate crimes at schools following Donald Trump’s election, citing many cases that turned out to be false. Her view is that “it’s much easier to find credible examples of violence against students who have openly backed Trump”.
Inquiring about Gulf Coast State College, as well as the FSU campus, we are lucky not to have this issue because the diversity of the community is fully embraced. There is an ever-present spirit for all to get involved and have your voice heard.
Lt. Steve Sellers, from the Office of Public safety division of the FSU Panama City Police, says “…in my 10 years of service here, there have been no occurrence of hate crimes at all!” This sentiment is echoed by College Crime Statistics that shows the hate crime rate at the college is 0.00 per ten thousand students.
While our campus seems relatively safe, it is still important to have the Campus Safety information handy.
FSU PC OFFICER ON-DUTY
850-774-2705
Panama City Police Department
850-872-3100
Bay County Sheriff’s Office
850-747-4700
Emergency Services
911
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela Small
Student Author - Fall 2017
I am currently a student of Digital Multimedia, and one of the many “Senior” students here at Gulf Coast State College. After living a full life, which included raising 5 children (and 7 grandchildren, to date), I finally had time and opportunity to do something that was just for me. I am an aspiring web designer that is deciding on the direction my career will take., while enjoying all of the different studies within the field. I have a million hobbies, which include writing, collecting dolls, crocheting, and crafting. I enjoy DIY projects with family and friends. Anything that involves creativity, I probably like.
