Police have asked members of the Penn State Black Caucus be watchful in case they receive more racist threats in the mail, students said yesterday evening.
Students said police cautioned them that the chances of a threat might increase this month, with black state legislators scheduled to visit the campus April 11.
A supervisor at Penn State Police Services said he wasn't sure which officer had visited the students and had no information to add.
Black Caucus member TinaMaria Simms (freshman-English) said a police officer stopped by the Black Caucus office in the HUB Friday afternoon with a pair of white gloves. He asked students to wear the gloves when opening their mail to protect the envelopes from fingerprints, Simms said.
"He said because of what's going on in two weeks, there might be another influx of letters. To be on the safe side, he gave us the gloves to help them with the investigation," Simms said.
Penn State Black Caucus leaders said they worry that the police visit might signal that more threats are on the way. In that case, they said, police should be providing them security, not gloves.
Yesterday evening, caucus vice president Sharleen Morris said the students were planning to walk to President Graham Spanier's office this morning and confront him about the police visit.
"We are concerned that we don't know what's going on with the investigation," Morris said.
Morris said the students would likely ask Spanier to provide security guards for the students in prominent Black Caucus positions.
Several students, including Black Caucus President LaKeisha Wolf, received racist threats in the mail last October.
"If they're (police) scared about a letter, why shouldn't Keisha be scared for her life?" asked Morris.
Some black student leaders have become critical of the university administration since the threatening, racist letters were received in October.
In February, the students presented a report to the black legislative caucus in Harrisburg about racism at Penn State. The legislators are planning to meet with students and administrators on April 11.
