Threat to close center alarms LSU students

Students at Louisiana State University were outraged Monday when they were falsely informed the LSU African American Cultural Center would be shut down this Saturday. According to Collins Phillips, president of the Student Equality Commission, the center was to be closed by campus officials to allegedly discourage students from protesting during Homecoming about racial concerns.
“I heard about it Monday,” Phillips said. “It was official Tuesday.”
Philips said Isaac Netters, coordinator of the cultural center, informed him of the closure and said any students caught on the grounds would be arrested per the instruction of upper level administration. He said the university had not officially announced the closure, but from what he was told by Netters, it would happen.
Netters declined to comment.
“I truly doubt it’s a bluff by the university,” Phillips said. “It’s out there now. Students know about it; administrators know about it, so to put a bluff out there like that, I don’t think the university would do something like that.”
Phillips said if the center were to close on Saturday, the students would challenge the university.
“We are going to march,” Phillips said. “We are going to link up by force and we are going to march to the AACC and we are going to demand they give us our grounds back. We’re going to demand they open it up.”
Phillips said Netters told him the center was ordered closed because of safety concerns for protestors during Homecoming. He said the university was concerned there would not be enough police officers on hand to protect demonstrators in the event of an attack by onlookers.
Students on LSU’s campus have continuously protested many of their concerns addressing racial issues. One of the main focuses is the displaying of purple and gold Confederate flags during many of LSU’s home games.
“They are afraid the resistance is going to do us something because the protection isn’t going to be there. But if that’s the case, they need to do something about the resistance,” Phillips said. “If you’re scared for our safety, then you need to do something about them, not the people that are talking about getting rid of the resistance. That doesn’t make any sense.”
According to Katrice Albert, vice provost for equity and diversity, the cultural center is not being shut down. However, a Homecoming tailgate party sponsored by the center was canceled to give workers at the center time off to enjoy homecoming activities. Albert also said the center would be opened on Saturday.
“Even though the African American Cultural Center’s sponsored tailgate party is cancelled, students are free to tailgate anywhere on campus, including the lawn of the African-American Cultural Center,” Albert said in an e-mail.
She said there was no need for the university to make an official announcement because the center is rarely opened on weekends.
Donald Lewis, vice president of the Student Equality Commission, said Albert sent an e-mail Wednesday night saying statements on the possible arrest of students being on the center’s property were false.
“I think it was just a scare tactic,” Lewis said. “When they found out we would still be there they changed their minds.”
Lewis said even with the grounds open, the students still plan to march on the issue of banning the displaying of purple and gold Confederate flags and other issues of racial equality on the campus.