Whiteboards get erased from MSU dorms

Next year’s on-campus residents may notice something different in the dorms: whiteboards have been taken off the list of acceptable dorm door decor.

That’s right – starting next fall, MSU will not allow dorm residents to hang whiteboards on their doors or in the hallway. The new ban apparently comes from an upsurge in racist messages being anonymously written on residents’ boards.

This ruling set in place by the university has seen some opposition from those who view whiteboards as a way to add some decoration to the hall, a place to leave inspirational quotes, or a way to communicate with other residents. However, not all messages have been positive. Increasingly, these light-hearted notes have been replaced with those of intolerance and racial slurs. This issue is not being taken lightly, and by removing the boards, the university hopes to resolve this issue.

I have experienced this firsthand when my roommate and I opened our dorm door in the morning and found that our board had been torn apart and broken. Something had been written on it, but had been erased enough that it was not legible. The termination of such incidents is the aim of the university.

“We’re going to encourage students to connect online,” instead of communicating anonymously through whiteboards, said Kat Cooper, communication director for MSU Residential Services in an interview with local WLNS station.

As important as it is to discourage this type of discrimination, we will be sad to see such a college staple disappear.