In the wake of the tragedy that has occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, it is important, now more than ever, to stand up against racism, bigotry and unfounded hatred.  College campuses are meant to be sacred places of learning where we go to better ourselves in order to better the communities that we are a part of.  Acts of violence stemming from racial hatred have absolutely no place in modern day America and especially so on the campuses we call home, West Texas A&M University included

The Prairie has long been a voice of truth, camaraderie and fairness on campus, and we will continue to be that voice.  WTAMU is a place we proudly call home, it is a place we come to feel safe.  We are deeply saddened by the events that have occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, and to those directly impacted we offer our condolences and support.  We stand in solidarity with Charlottesville and the University of Virginia.

We also offer our voice, we promise to stand up for what is right and we promise to call out racism, bigotry and hatred if we see it on our beloved campus.  The love we have for this university pales in comparison for the love we have for neighbors.  Rest assured, if acts of hatred occur, we will be there to correct the injustice with peaceful and non-violent resistance.  We will speak up for the victimized.  We will support our fellow Buffs when they are targeted and we will do so proudly because we are in this together, we are better human beings than those who deal in the currency of racism and bigotry.

Numerous universities across the country have already condemned the actions that have occurred in Charlottesville, with almost 100 student body presidents adding their name to the list of support, with only two coming from the state of Texas so far: the University of Houston and the University of North Texas.

West Texas A&M University is not a campus where racism or white supremacy are welcome.  And we most certainly reject anyone associated with the neo-nazi movement.  We are a campus that will represent the best ideals of humanity and we will strive to respect each other on a daily basis.