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A University of Wisconsin at Madison student who has been campaigning to create a white nationalist organization on campus was convicted of racially motivated arson against two African-American churches in 2005. In a statement released Thursday, Rebecca Blank, the university's chancellor, defended the student's right to free speech but denounced his actions.
"The student claims to be affiliated with the American Freedom Party, a recognized hate group," Blank said. "Its activities are diametrically opposed to our campus values of respect and inclusion. I’ve been heartened to see many students state their strong disagreement with the views of this group. At this point, we have no information to suggest a specific safety threat to individuals or campus. Any time we become aware of a potential safety concern, we work with law enforcement and other partners to gather information and determine whether laws or campus policies are being violated. We continue to track this situation closely given the student’s history."
The University of Wisconsin system's admission process does not allow institutions to consider a student's criminal history. In her statement Thursday, Blank said the process "is intended to ensure that students who have made mistakes, but paid their debt to society, are not prevented from accessing education." She said the university's Board of Regents will now consider reviewing the policy.
