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Officials at the University of La Verne, a private, Hispanic-serving institution in California, are pledging more resources for diversity and to listen to the campus after a backpack was set on fire in a student’s car in what is believed to be a racially related incident.
President Devorah Lieberman canceled classes on March 1 after students were anonymously threatened on social media and the alleged arson episode. An anonymous account on Instagram messaged students who were protesting what they perceive as racism on campus saying the students “would get what’s coming to them.”
Following the messages, which contained slurs toward black and Latinx students, a fire was reported in a vehicle of one of the students who had been threatened. Police said that a backpack in the car was smoking -- it was removed and extinguished.
The anonymous account had said it knew the cars that the student protesters drove.
In an interview, Lieberman said the campus is “healing.” The students who were threatened have been offered significant protections, including special parking spaces and escorts to classes and an administrative contact in case they need anything, she said.
The university also held sessions on Thursday to talk about cultural competency, Lieberman said.
