(NAME-MCE) Four punished over Obama effigy Newberg OR

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Four punished over Obama effigy

By Ryan Kost  The Associated Press

October 1, 2008

http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/181305//story.csp

NEWBERG, Oregon — Four George Fox University students have been
punished for hanging a likeness of Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama from a tree on campus last week, university officials said.

The Christian school broke the news to students and staff members on
Tuesday afternoon at an all-campus meeting. About 1,000 people
attended, university spokesman Rob Felton said.

The four students were punished with public service and immediate
long-term suspensions, though Felton said federal privacy laws prevent
him from saying how long the suspensions would last and who the
students were.

Meanwhile, the FBI continued its criminal investigation into the
matter to determine whether the students had violated any civil rights
when they tied fishing wire around the neck of the life-size cardboard
cutout and hung it from a tree last Tuesday along with a message that
read, "Act Six reject." The note referred to a scholarship and
leadership program for minority and low-income student leaders at
Christian colleges primarily located in the Northwest.

"A criminal investigation is much more rigorous than an academic one,
obviously," said Beth Anne Steele, an agency spokeswoman. She couldn't
say when the investigation would be complete.

It was the university's own internal investigation that led officials
to the four students, who later confessed to having hung the effigy,
Felton said. "To the best of our knowledge these are the only people
involved. We're not pursuing it any further."

Felton wouldn't comment on the students' motive. Instead he cited a
quote from Brad Lau, the vice president of student life, in a
university statement.

"Regardless of the students' intent, the image of a black man hung
from a tree is one of the most hurtful symbols of racism in American
history," Lau said in the release. "Displays such as this have no
place on a campus that is dedicated to living out the teachings of Jesus."

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For more information, visit

http://www.georgefox.edu/featured_stories/campus_incident.html

including:

Robin Baker meets with campus community

Full text of President Baker's address to students

Full text of ASC President Joey Bianco's address in chapel

Student government statement condemns act

Faculty statement of support for Act Six scholars

Board of Trustees statement condemns act

Apology letter to Senator Obama