As racial unrest unfolded in May at St. Olaf College, The College Fix covered the fiasco the entire way. It covered the protests. It covered the fallout. And it covered the news that the hate note that sparked the mess was a hoax. Now, a new story ties the whole situation together.
In a piece published at The Federalist, staff reporter Nathan Rubbelke looks at the anatomy of the hoax in a story titled “Hoax Discovery On Rural Minnesota Campus Hasn’t Stopped Cries Of ‘Racism’” The longform article examines how the fake hate note brought the “campus to its knees.”
From the article:
NORTHFIELD, Minn.— It was a vile, racist note. It used the n-word, threatened a student, sparked a campus takeover, and generated national headlines. It was also a hoax.
The note consumed St. Olaf College, a private Lutheran school with about 3,100 students. Located in a rural Minnesota town with the motto “Cows, Colleges and Contentment,” the note prompted a mob of students to take over the campus. Such was the fury displayed the night of Saturday, April 29. As word of the racist note spread via social media, irate students blocked the entrances to campus buildings. One student who tried to break through was allegedly punched.
“The students have taken over the campus like a coup,” Kathryn Hinderaker, vice president of the College Republicans, said at the time. Another group allegedly commandeered the library’s PA system to rally troops, pushing aside the hapless aide who tried to stop them. Signs hung around campus declared “I’m sick of white tears” and “F-ck your white complacency.” No one dared take them down, a student said.
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