A black graduate student at the University of Buffalo plastered "White Only" and "Black Only" signs on bathrooms and drinking fountains in a hall of offices and classrooms on campus, prompting outrage at a Black Student Union meeting Wednesday.
Campus Reform reported:
Ashley Powell, a graduate student in fine arts, came forward as the individual behind the project at a meeting of the Black Student Union on September 16. Powell, who is black, hung the signs as a project for her "Installation: Urban Spaces" class, which requires the creation of an art installation in a public space. Powell explained that her purpose was to "get a reaction out of people."
Powell apologized for "hurting people" with the signs but defended them as art. More than 100 students attended the Black Student Union meeting Wednesday to complain, some of whom left in tears, according to the UB Spectrum.
The signs were removed from the hall by campus police after multiple complaints. The university said in a statement that it "is continuing to review this matter through appropriate university policies and procedures."
The school generally limits the posting of signs to specific bulletin boards.